Proletkult and the avant-garde

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What did Communists disagree on after the October Revolution?
What the new revolutionary culture should be like.
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Who believed that following the revolution, proletarian culture should flourish?
Anatoly Lunacharsky, the new People's commissar of Enlightenment
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What did Lenin believe about proletarian culture?
That the proletariat should learn from the best of bourgeoise culture
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What did Lunacharsky believe about proletarian culture?
just as capitalism had been dominated by bourgeoise culture, the new revolutionary society should be dominated by proletarian culture. A truly revolutionary society should foster artistic talent among working people- was an important part of life
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How was proletarian culture different from bourgeoise culture, according to Lunacharsky?
Proletarian culture would naturally focus on collective experience and involve a wide range of people whilst Bourgeoise culture was individualistic, dominated by a cultural elite
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What was Proletkult?
The proletarian culture movement, established prior to the revolution. From 1918-20 it became a national movement within russia. An independent organisation, free from CP control
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Was was available through Proletkult?
Working people had access to local studios where they could paint, sculpt, rehearse plays and put on exhibitions- by 1920 there were 84,000 members and 300 studios.
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Who was a champion of Proletkult and what did he do?
Bukharin- he used his position as editor of Pravada to promote the organisation throughout the Civil War.
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Why was Lenin critical of Lunacharsky's philosophy and Proletkult?
He argued that the best culture was universal- neither bourgeoise nor proletarian, it reflected the human spirit. He defended bourgeoise culture
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What were some of Lenin's criticisms of futurism?
It was the worst kind of bourgeoise and Proletkult was encouraging artists to embrace it. He argued that it was degenerate- it celebrated individual self expression and most working people didn't understand it.
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Why was Lenin suspicious of Proletkult?
He believed that it was dominated by socialists associated with opposition movements such as anarchism. He believed that working people needed a basic education rather than opportunities for artistic expression. Continued independence= threat
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How did Lenin weaken Proletkult?
He sent representatives to the National Congress of Proletkult Oct 1920. An appeal for Proletkult to support the CP resulted in a merger with the Commissariat of Education- artists who wanted to stay independent were heavily criticised in the press.
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How were gov. funds diverted after the merger?
From local activities to supporting traditional arts such as ballet
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What gov. department was set up in 1920 and what was its aim?
The Department of Agitation propaganda (agitprop)- lenin and stalin believed that art could be used to support the new government
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What was the style of early Agitprop and what was Lenin's view of it?
It was often produced by avant-garde artists working for the government so early agitprop was very experimental. More experimental than Lenin was happy with.
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What is the most famous example of civil war agitprop?
Beat the whites with the red wedge by El Lissitzky- used geometric shapes to represent the red and white army (reminiscent of abstract art and Suprematist work)
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How was sculpture used to support the new regime?
Vladimir Tatlin's 'Monument for the Third International' was designed to be the tallest monument in the world (a model was created but the real thing never made)
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Who was the most famous avant-garde photographer to collaborate with the soviet government and what was his photography like?
Alexander Rodchenko- used techniques such as photomontage to make posters celebrating the revolution. One of the founders of constructivism- sought to produce art with a clear purpose. During NEP he created advertising posters for companies.
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What was the importance of revolutionary cinema under Lenin?
He believed that it was the most important art form of the 20th C. He argued that it should be used to inspire support for the new gov.
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Who was Dziga Vertov and what was his art like?
Experimental filmmaker who made 'cinema of fact'- filmed workers as they worked. His most famous film= 'A man with a movie camera' tells the story of a day in the life of a Soviet city
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Who was Sergei Eisenstein and what was his art like?
Filmmaker- he made a series of agitational films in the 1920s which combined a revolutionary message with experimental filmmaking. His films told clear stories (unlike Vertoz). 'October:Ten days that shook the world' dramatised events of revolution
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How were the films of Eisenstein and Vertov recieved?
Vertov's films: Pravada described them as 'insane', 'puzzling', 'laughable'. Eisenstein's: by late 20s they were criticised as they were too experimental. In 1930s films edited to remove refs to Trotsky
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Why was there less control over art under the civil war and what was the result of this?
The gov. were preoccupied with winning the war. Proletkult and avant-garde artists flourished
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How and why did art change under the NEP?
By end of the 1920s the CP firmly in control of art. Senior commies didn't understand avant-garde art so it became less influential. Artists were forced to change their style and artistic institutions were attacked/closed
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What did artist Kazmir Malevich do under the NEP?
Sent his most radical paintings to Germany in the 1927 and adopted a more conventional style at the end of his life.
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Why was the government critical of the influence of American fashion and music on young people?
They claimed that the new fashion and the new music encouraged promiscuity and drunkenness. Concerned that young people would rather dance than attend lectures on revolutionary politics. Communist party bosses were using the OGPU stop JAZZ
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What group of artists emerged in the late 1920s and what kind of art did they produce?
The Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia. They painted in the traditional style of ninteenth C painters and produced pictures that celebrated achievements of the gov.
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How did the gov respond to the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia?
Works such as Aleksandr Deyneka's 'The Defence of Petrograd' won the praise of Party officials
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Card 2

Front

Who believed that following the revolution, proletarian culture should flourish?

Back

Anatoly Lunacharsky, the new People's commissar of Enlightenment

Card 3

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What did Lenin believe about proletarian culture?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What did Lunacharsky believe about proletarian culture?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

How was proletarian culture different from bourgeoise culture, according to Lunacharsky?

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Preview of the front of card 5
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