So, friends, today will be an interesting post about the incredibly cool work of artist Vasily Shulzhenko, which in a grotesque manner depicted life in the USSR — mostly in the sixtieth-the eightieth years. I think you have seen these pictures on the Internet, but most likely knew nothing about the author — and here in today’s post I have collected all the most famous paintings of the artist.
A few words about the author. Vasily Shulzhenko was born in Moscow in 1949. In 1973, the artist graduated from Moscow printing Institute, and became a member of the Union of artists in 1978. The style of the artist defined as the “free Fantasia” — he has incorporated many styles of the XX century, from surrealism to social realism. Of course, most of his works devoted to the Soviet Union, the artist painted after the end of Soviet rule in the USSR for such pictures could end up in jail or in a madhouse.
So in today’s post — scary USSR on the paintings of the artist Vasily Shulzhenko. Make sure you check out the article below, write your opinion in the comments, and of friends added do not forget. And telegram channel also subscribe)
1. “Lenin and the peasants.” Perhaps one of the most famous works of Basil, which depicts the communication of Lenin with “the people”. Lenin it is presented not in the form of “grandfatherly” and in the form of some scary creatures-zombies. Yes, and “people” around Lenin for his drunken mugs bears little resemblance to normal people…
02. “Doodle”. Unsightly dilapidated city with advanced buildings of pre-revolutionary era, emerged from the banks of the river. In the midst of all this boat sits a man and with the detached gaze is a pipe. It is difficult to say what meant the artist — maybe it’s the picture of post-revolutionary devastation, and perhaps it depicts a former prisoner of the Gulagwho can’t find a place for himself in life.
03. “The sellers of potatoes”. The painting, depicting life in the Soviet hinterland — the bag of potatoes sitting beaten down by life and lost a leg grandpa, standing next to a girl — most likely his granddaughter. Poignant picture.
04. “The fight of the shepherds”. Those “farm days”, which was never shown in Soviet films — there are all the farmers are portrayed as beautiful and smart companions that are constantly working, from time to time quote Lenin and constantly thinking about increasing yields.
05. “Night in the city.” Probably my favorite work Shulzhenko, which accurately shows the life of the city Soviet of alcoholics seventies and eighties. Late in the evening, dirty snow, a typical Soviet neighborhood with”steklyashka” near the store gathered Padmasana drunk and shoots a trifle “on the bubble”. In the foreground is something asexual, with the most cherished bottle in his hand. The picture is so strong that it seems that it passes even the smell.
05. “Faun”. The painting is named after the Roman patron deity of forests, fields, herds and all wildlife. In mythology, the Faun is portrayed with animal lower half of the body, and then Vasily Shulzhenko has not departed from the canons. In the hands of the Soviet Faun Bayan, and side by side sit two comrades-“Deputy”)
06. “Diogenes”. Another reference to classical mythology and history — as you know, Diogenes was an ancient Greek philosopher and according to legend, lived in a clay barrel. Soviet Diogenes living in some rusty sector of a large pipe in an abandoned empty in the middle of a decaying city. On the face of the hero to guess that this is an educated and intelligent person once, now became “the scourge”, in the USSR such cases were frequent — the clever and intelligent people had to drink out of despair and the inability to realize themselves in the Soviet system.
07. “Breakfast on the grass”. Well, it actually all is clear without words.
08. “Riding the centaur.” The painting depicts “a love triangle” — wife hugs and kisses the centaur, while on the croup of centaur rides her drinking and everything indifferent husband.
09. “The grandmaster”. In the USSR, people have often a lot of useless Hobbies, like games of checkers, chess, dominoes and cards — in which they often reach great heights. It was believed that some of these Hobbies (like chess) to help develop thinking, but it was absolutely useless skills in the Soviet system — they did not help the person to improve their financial situation. If kapitalisticheskih system, you could invent something and become a millionaire in the USSR you had a “ceiling of salaries”, beyond which it was impossible.
10. “The square”. Shows the life of the Central part of a provincial Soviet town. In the center of the composition is a bust of Lenin about him among some alcoholics. And Lenin himself, in the bust the face looks like a drunken locals.
11. “Beer”. I like to tell the fans of the Soviet Union — “after the work of the Soviet people was going friendly companies and went to sit in a cozy cafe for a glass of beer”. These beer looked like the picture of Basil. There was always smoky, the floor was covered heads and tails of dried fish, and drinking beer not often from the glasses, but simply of half-liter cans brought in from home. Well, I want to them in the company?
12. “Grandpa, go home!”. The painting, depicting life, most likely, some kind of industrial area on the outskirts of the Soviet company towns. Grandfather surrounded by terrifying and phantasmagoric characters, and the grandson is a teenager with a backpack on the shoulder and begs him quickly to get out of this place.
13. “Shepherd and flock”. An elderly man with a whip and a dog at his feet — apparently there is a shepherd. Interestingly, except the gang some of the murky figures in the background, no other “herds” in the picture there.
14. “The fallen”. The scenery is all the same — dirty outskirts of the old town, across the river is a huge and grotesque figure of a man — “drunk the sea knee-deep”.
15. “The night at the station”. A very scary job that a foreigner who is not familiar with Soviet realities, little understand, and a former Soviet citizen will remember that hotels in the USSR really was not, to get there was often only through connections, and travellers often had to sleep at the station or nearby. The company is on the canvas does not cause sympathy is some sketchy characters, clearly belting out obscene songs, and the right to them has attached some kind of shadowy figure in a hat and with empty eyes — perhaps a police “informant” listening in on conversations at stations.
16. “The shepherd”. The painting depicts a rural Soviet life with the main character-a shepherd — wrinkled toothless man in a padded jacket. Lovers of the Soviet Union trying to convince us that should look like happiness:
17. “Sink”. Semi-abandoned historic neighborhoods of St. Petersburg, many homes which made communal. The attitude of the Soviet government to the historical heritage and people’s relationship to the space in which they live — is well seen in the picture.
18. “Potatoes”. Despite the fact that the fans of the USSR telling about the 200 varieties of sausage that could be bought for two a penny in any store, the standard Soviet dinner often looked like three potatoes in an enamel bowl. The look of the character right to read — “and that’s all what I have earned in life.” A very strong work.
19. “Mummers”. The Soviet version of carols.
20. “Dormant”. Good picture and good title — whether the artist calls “sleeping” only those in the frame, or is referring to all who sleep and cannot see what is happening around them.
21. “Toilet”. For starters — probably the most famous work of Basil called “John”. The question why in the USSR at stations and other public places did not have proper toilets, and there was here such “toilets” — I leave to you.
The Internet works by Vasily Shulzhenko arouse fierce debate. Some call the artist “prophet” and “the true face of socialist realism”, while others criticize it and call “rusprom”, “soukupova” and “slanderer great country.”
What do you think about the paintings of Basil? His characters and situations similar to the real Soviet Union, or is it all fiction?
Write in the comments interesting.
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