Issues of Contemporary Reality in Soviet Art 1940s-1960s -- A Vintage Portfolio of 16 Works, 1977

Published in 1977 in Leningrad, this portfolio of Soviet art card reproductions contains 16 works dating from the 40s through to the 60s that are quite diverse in subject matter.

Each from a different Soviet artist the themes include portraits, family life, nature and beyond. They are varied stylistically. As is to be expected a few deal with the Nazi invasion and what the Soviets called the Great Patriotic War.

As the text from back of the outer cover puts it, "The sixteen reproductions of this set illustrate the works of the 1940s-1960s, which show the talented artists' sensitive approach to the various issues of contemporary reality."

This is certainly true from the portrait of the great Soviet writer Alexei Tolstoy, to the powerful and moving depiction of a soldier leaving for the front in Parting (sometimes also translated as "Farewell"), to the stark realism of A Family. Year 1945, to the more abstract works like Cherries and Morning in a Mountain Village.

As an interesting contrast see The Professions -- A Soviet Socialist Realist Art Portfolio for Children which we featured in October, 2017.

(Click on images to enlarge)

The Defence of Sevastopol, 1942

Oil on canvas

A. Deyneka, 1899-1969

Morning in a Mountain Village, 1967

Oil on canvas

S. Chuikov, 1902-1980

Landscape in Ostrovskoye, 1962

Oil on Canvas

N. Romadin 1905-1987

Venice: The Lonely Flower Seller, 1958

Oil on Canvas

Yu. Pimenov 1903-1977

Gymnasts of the USSR, 1964-65

Tempera and synthetic resins on cardboard

D. Zhilinsky 1927-2015

Early Autumn, 1953

Oil on cardboard

S. Gerasimov, 1885-1964

Collective Farm "Zargorye", 1960

Oil on canvas

G. Nissky, 1903-1987

A Family. Year 1945, 1964

Oil on canvas

V. Ivanov, 1924 - ?

Portrait of the Harpist Vera Dulova, 1945

Oil on canvas

P. Konchalovsky, 1876-1956

A Warm Rainy Day, 1935

Oil on canvas

A. Gerasimov, 1881-1963

Youth, 1954

Oil on canvas

A. Plastov, 1893-1972

The Flight of the Nazi Soldiers from Novgorod, 1944-46

Oil on canvas

M. Kupriyanov, P. Krylov & N. Sokolov

Portrait of the Writer Alexei Tolstoy, 1940

Oil on canvas

P. Korin, 1892-1967

Sisters, 1967

Oil on canvas

A. Mylnikov, 1919-2012

Cherries, 1969

Oil on canvas

E. Moiseyenko, 1916-1988

Parting, 1967

Oil on canvas

G. Korzhev-Chuvelev, 1925-2012

See also: The Professions -- A Soviet Socialist Realist Art Portfolio for Children

See also: Moscow 1971 - 32 illustrated postcard images in colour and black-and-white

See also: In the shadow of October -- Reflecting on the USSR and Soviet power