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Liudmila Limanskaya
1he Psychoanalytical Aspects of the
Deconstruction of Images of Socialist Ideals
of the 1930s—1950s in Russian Sots Art
of the 1990s—2000s
Building the image of the Other in Soviet art of the 1930s until 1953 was closely
linked to the ideological milieu of that time. An understanding of art as a means of
forming a new type of personality—a builder of communism—brought about a set
of semiotic codes that determined the canon of visual representation of opposing
images, materialising in the figures of friend vs. foe. When producing the image of
the friend, artists were to glorify peasants and workers, who were the true build¬
ers and protectors of communist ideology. The set of visual and semiotic codes
was orientated towards reflecting the three basic aesthetic principles of Marxism¬
Leninism in art: the party spirit, commitment to the people, and specificity. The
1934 Charter of the Union of Writers in the USSR, reads, in part: “The Union of
Soviet Writers sets the general goal of creating works of art of lofty artistic signifi¬
cance filled with the deeds of the heroic struggle of international proletariat and the
pathos of the victory of socialism; and reflecting the great wisdom and heroism of
the communist party” (Ihe First National Congress of Soviet Writers, 1934) (this
and other translations by L. Limanskaya).
Describing the work process of sculptor Nikolai Andreev on the image of Lenin,
the well-known art critic of the Soviet era Vladislav Zimenko wrote in 1962:
However, the largest and most productive work from the artistic and docu¬
mentary point of view was N. Andreev’s great Leniniana. In May 1920, he was
allowed to draw Lenin in his study in the Kremlin, where he produced numer¬
ous studies and a large number of sketches for sculptures. With great attention,
carefully and thoughtfully, the sculptor studied Lenin’s appearance, his habitual
gestures and manner to sit, speak and work, trying to capture all the details of
the complex inner world of this great man. Numerous albums were quickly
filled with both quick sketches and more complete drawings showing Lenin
during various times of his intense workday. In one, he is attentively reading
a document and in another, he is talking. The artist portrays his kind and, at the
same time, keen glance. It is obvious that Lenin is talking to a friend, to a like¬
minded person. In another drawing, his expression is challenging and sharp.
There are alternative studies of his eyes, nose and ear. Another common motif is