Socialist Realism

What did Maxim Gorky identify in 1934 as the primary aim of the movement?

'education of workers in the spirit of socialism'

what has Peter Kenez identified as the key paradox of Socialist Realism?

'the world could either be depicted as it was or as it should be... the two are obviously not the same'

what was the key principle Zhdanov suggested should guide the movement?

'to depict reality in its revolutionary development'

from which year was cultural autonomy and independent artistic expression under threat within the Soviet Union?

1932

how many of the 308 films produced from 1933 to 1940 made for children?

54

what is an example of a key painting which depicts collectivisation?

Arkady Plastov's Collective Farm Festival (1937)

who are the two main characters in Counterplan

Babchenko and Pasha - the former is a symbol of the old world, the latter a naive but zealous young cadre

At what congress did Andrei Zhdanov delineate the core principles of Socialist Realism

First Congress of Soviet Writers (1934)

what is an example of a painting which depicts industrialisation/industrial life?

Serafima Ryangina's Higher and Higher (1934)

which 1932 film typified the formula of Socialist realist films?

Sergei Yutkevich and Fridrikh Emler's Counterplan

what is a typical example of a painting which depicts urban scenes?

Yuri Pimyenov's New Moscow (1937)

How is time depicted in Ilyin's The Great Conveyor Belt?

a construction site undergoes complete transformation in a handful of weeks

what are the key elements of Ryangina's Higher and Higher?

gender equality (a man and woman work together), the construction of a new Soviet society, success of policy, hope

what are the key elements of Pimyenov's New Moscow?

gender equality (woman is focal point of picture), modernity, a red flower, a thriving modern city

what were the three categories Kenez identifies as those into which adult films fell?

historical epics, films on the revolution, contemporary dramas (eg on construction, collective farms)

which 1934 film typifies the reconstruction of history within Socialist Realism?

the Vasilyev Brother's Chapaev, about the Civil War hero Vasily Chapaev

what are some key elements of Plastov's Collective Farm Festival?

the colour red, images of Stalin, bounty/plenty, a united Socialist community, idealised rural scenes, success of policy

what was the typical plot of Socialist realist films?

the journey of a young/inexperienced worker (or similar) who, under the guidance of a senior party figure, learns how to become a 'good Communist'

How is time depicted in Kastaev's Time, Forward!

the protagonist of this story has to re-arrange his route to work every single day because the landscape is developing so rapidly

what was the essence of Soviet films produced during this period

these were explicitly didactic

what were the plots of films for children?

usually involved children helping uncover and denounce spies and hidden enemies

What happens in Counterplan?

workers attempt to fulfil an ambitious 'counterplan' - the construction of a turbine ahead of time