The Great Patriotic War was reflected in many paintings by Soviet and modern artists, sometimes bravura propaganda, sometimes unbearably poignant, touching the soul, which once seen is difficult to forget. Everyone who was in the war experienced too complex and borderline feelings, and not all artists were able to depict them truthfully without slipping into dull, cap-throwing propaganda. But even more valuable are sincere paintings, painted from the heart and not on commission.
V. G. Titov. Letters
However, looking at the paintings of Soviet artists, one can notice a number of features, sometimes completely paradoxical. Some themes were willingly addressed, but there were also strict taboos that few dared to violate. In this article we will talk about the paradoxical features of Soviet artists' paintings dedicated to the Great Patriotic War.
Storming Sapun Mountain on May 7, 1944, USSR Art Director P.T. Maltsev
Soviet artists were particularly fond of depicting infantry in their paintings. This is partly understandable - it is the image of an infantry soldier that is canonical, and the vast majority of people served in the infantry. They faced great trials, and some of them accomplished feats worthy of immortalization on canvas. But should we forget other branches of the military - tankers, pilots and sailors - who fought no less heroically?
Alexander Deineka. The Downed Ace.
Of course, we can recall Deineka's stunning film "The Downed Ace", the life-affirming "Morning of the Tankmen" by B. F. Fedorov, but still this is more an exception than a rule, and in terms of the intensity of passions and emotional impact on the viewer, "Morning of the Tankmen" is much inferior to "The Duel" by Peter Krivonogov.
Peter Krivonogov. Duel
But saboteurs, miners, and engineers are virtually absent from Soviet painting, as if they did not exist. Perhaps this is due to the insufficiently romantic nature of their service, which, although necessary, was almost always classified as secret and not publicized.
V. G. Puzyrkov. Soldiers
But Soviet artists liked to paint artillerymen, especially when they had to fight the last battle with the superior forces of the fascists. Here there is romance and heroism, and familiar images that have been shown repeatedly in movies and described in books. So there is no need to invent or create anything special, just do everything according to the canon on a good artistic level.
F. P. Usypenko. Night Battle
Soviet artists did not like to depict tanks, the famous 34s, as if there was an unspoken ban on such paintings. A particularly telling example of this is the painting "Morning of the Tankers," in which a few tanks are painted in the background.
B. F. Fedorov. Morning of the Tankers
It is clear that people and their feelings are much more interesting for serious artists, but this creates a strange feeling that the war was won by soldiers with machine guns and rifles without the participation of serious equipment.
However, the best paintings of Soviet artists are not dioramas, not battle scenes, that is, not about war, but about people at war. They are ready to make any sacrifice, to carry out a combat mission at the cost of their lives, but at the same time they do not forget about simple joys and are desperately happy when victory finally comes.
V. Kharlamov. Victory
And this joy is not the bravura and mocking one typical of warriors of the past, when the commander gave three days to plunder the captured city, and a real massacre of civilians began with the taking away of everything valuable from them, but simply the joy of the opportunity to return home, to see relatives and friends.
Yu. P. Kugach. Return.
The most poignant pictures are about the return and meeting of soldiers with their mothers, wives, children, sisters and brothers. This is where the real, undisguised emotions are, which you are imbued with and remember for a long time.
A. P. Gorsky. Missing in Action
The very end of the war, that starting point of a new life, is depicted in the paintings of Soviet artists in completely different ways, but always sincerely and memorably. A boy hurries to share with everyone the crazy joy of the news about the end of the war, lovers simply lie on the grass that is beginning to grow and dreamily look at the sky, or the canonical image of celebrating soldiers at the Reichstag.
Б. V. Okorokov. The First Day of Peace
Soviet painting about the Great Patriotic War is our heritage, which should be remembered and known, if only to accurately imagine what the war was and what disasters it brought to our people.
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