In 1917, the Bolshevik party led by Vladimir Lenin overthrew the long-standing Tsarist regime and established a new state run by communism. The Russian Revolution not only changed the political state of the country, but also led to revolutionary changes in other aspects of social life. One such difference is seen in the artistic movement of agitation porcelain.
After taking over the State Porcelain Manufactory, Lenin saw potential in using the abundant stock of snow-white china to promote propaganda and innovation. Artists could put their thematic message of utopian ideology (their idea of a perfect world) on the blank dishes and teapot. The porcelain was seen as a perfect canvas to express the enthusiasm for the new socialist era.
The major motifs of the sickle and the hammer represent the unity of the workers and would be featured on the Soviet Union flag. These symbols were often depicted in the designs of the factory’s porcelain. Industrial productivity, progress to develop their country to a standard that matched the western world, was at the core of Lenin’s ideology, so images of smoking chimneys and telephone wires were painted in place of the previous scenes of pastures.
Despite the novel ideas expressed in the porcelain art, it was oftentimes a contrast to the revolution. The revolution created much energy, explosions and destruction, but the precious Russian history continued to be ingrained into the formation of the new sociaist regime through these pieces of art.
‘The main reason for the Bolsheviks to maintain the porcelain factory was the preservation of cultural heritage,” historian and guest curator of the Hermitage exhibition, Dr Sjeng Scheijen, tells BBC News.
Of course, these creations were not seen by the vast majority of the population and were far from being considered commercial items. The art often fell into the hands of a few wealthy individuals.
“They were too rare, too experimental,” Birgit Boelens of the Hermitage Amsterdam tells BBC News. “The individual pieces are of such a high quality that it took too long to mass produce them.”
Unfortunately, when Joseph Stalin took over the Soviet Union in the 1930s, agitation porcelain was replaced with social realism, an art movement that stifled artistic creativity through censorship. However, agitation porcelain will forever remain important to Russian culture and history.
Link to article:
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220629-how-teapots-were-used-to-spread-russian-propaganda
After taking over the State Porcelain Manufactory, Lenin saw potential in using the abundant stock of snow-white china to promote propaganda and innovation. Artists could put their thematic message of utopian ideology (their idea of a perfect world) on the blank dishes and teapot. The porcelain was seen as a perfect canvas to express the enthusiasm for the new socialist era.
The major motifs of the sickle and the hammer represent the unity of the workers and would be featured on the Soviet Union flag. These symbols were often depicted in the designs of the factory’s porcelain. Industrial productivity, progress to develop their country to a standard that matched the western world, was at the core of Lenin’s ideology, so images of smoking chimneys and telephone wires were painted in place of the previous scenes of pastures.
Despite the novel ideas expressed in the porcelain art, it was oftentimes a contrast to the revolution. The revolution created much energy, explosions and destruction, but the precious Russian history continued to be ingrained into the formation of the new sociaist regime through these pieces of art.
‘The main reason for the Bolsheviks to maintain the porcelain factory was the preservation of cultural heritage,” historian and guest curator of the Hermitage exhibition, Dr Sjeng Scheijen, tells BBC News.
Of course, these creations were not seen by the vast majority of the population and were far from being considered commercial items. The art often fell into the hands of a few wealthy individuals.
“They were too rare, too experimental,” Birgit Boelens of the Hermitage Amsterdam tells BBC News. “The individual pieces are of such a high quality that it took too long to mass produce them.”
Unfortunately, when Joseph Stalin took over the Soviet Union in the 1930s, agitation porcelain was replaced with social realism, an art movement that stifled artistic creativity through censorship. However, agitation porcelain will forever remain important to Russian culture and history.
Link to article:
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220629-how-teapots-were-used-to-spread-russian-propaganda
