Context
Socialist Realism
Zhurnal Mod was compiled between 1972-1974 in Soviet Russia. During this time, creative expression was controlled by the authorization of a singular art style, Socialist Realism. Under Socialist Realism, art had to follow the ideology of the Soviet Union and portray the regime in an idealized realistic style (Reid, 2017). In the years following Stalin’s death, there was a renewed interest in different styles of art, such as modernism and avant-garde (Reid, 2017). However, this was quickly shut down after Stalin’s successor, Nikita Khrushchev, visited an art exhibition in 1962 which, “presented a reassessment of the development and canon of Soviet art” (Reid, 2017). The primary offender, a painting of potatoes in muted, dark colours, was interpreted as a criticism of famine in the Soviet Union (Reid, 2017). The reaction caused by this seemingly innocuous painting exemplified the Soviet Union’s sensitivity to its representation in artwork. Nonconformist art – artwork that did not fit into the prescribed style and subsequent messages – was therefore endangered and faced repression. Another example of this is the bulldozing of a nonconformist art exhibit in 1974, where the artwork was destroyed by Soviet authorities (Komaromi, 2015). Self-publishing samizdat was then a safer alternative to avoid intervention by Soviet authorities.
Zhurnal Mod as nonconformist art
The contrast between the Socialist Realism artwork entitled “Glory to the Soviet Youth!” and the selected illustration from Zhurnal Mod emphasizes the nonconformist nature of the latter. “Glory to the Soviet Youth!” features smiling young people in bright colours, standing in front of the Soviet flag. This demonstrates both nationalism and an optimistic outlook on the future of the Soviet Union. It sends a straightforward message, made even clearer by the title and caption integrated into the artwork, which proclaim their support of the Soviet Union. In contrast, the illustrations in Zhurnal Mod are ambiguous and sometimes do not resemble human figures. They do not contain any overtly political messages, but under the Soviet regime, a lack of nationalism or prescribed Socialist Realism messaging opens the work to interpretation by an evidently sensitive Soviet Union.