It is 1917 and in Russia a violent coup was staged against the Tsar by the Bolsheviks. They seized power and declared a revolutionary communist regime that would transfer the means of production to the people.
The Bolsheviks saw potential for producing propaganda in the stocks of unpainted china left behind. Since increasing the country’s productivity was at the heart of the new ideology, images of smoking chimneys, wires, and large towers were painted on. The IMP hallmark was replaced by the hammer and sickle, symbolizing the union of worker and peasant.
”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 Culture.
The porcelain was decorated with calls to action, hoping to stir the working class. In 1920, workers are often painted as the subject, working together towards a bright future. However, despite the messages the porcelain conveyed, the working class had little contact with it, and most of it remained in the hands of wealthy collectors. Even designs intended to raise money for famine in the early 20s never made it to auction, they were instead showcased in exhibitions.
During the harsh post-war period, famine, civil war, and disease devastated many Russia lives. By the late 20s, Joseph Stalin rose to power and, establishing a dictatorship, intensified the use of art as a means of propaganda. The brutal regime was covered by happy images of Stalin together with the working class, and artists felt has if they had no independence in art anymore.
Forced famine, mass imprisonment and executions have left the 1917 vision in shambles. Revolutionary art had done nothing to improve the conditions of the poor, but the survival of these highly prized pieces and the fact that they are enjoyed by so many is a tribute to the importance and success of their art.
Link: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220629-how-teapots-were-used-to-spread-russian-propaganda
The Bolsheviks saw potential for producing propaganda in the stocks of unpainted china left behind. Since increasing the country’s productivity was at the heart of the new ideology, images of smoking chimneys, wires, and large towers were painted on. The IMP hallmark was replaced by the hammer and sickle, symbolizing the union of worker and peasant.
”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 Culture.
The porcelain was decorated with calls to action, hoping to stir the working class. In 1920, workers are often painted as the subject, working together towards a bright future. However, despite the messages the porcelain conveyed, the working class had little contact with it, and most of it remained in the hands of wealthy collectors. Even designs intended to raise money for famine in the early 20s never made it to auction, they were instead showcased in exhibitions.
During the harsh post-war period, famine, civil war, and disease devastated many Russia lives. By the late 20s, Joseph Stalin rose to power and, establishing a dictatorship, intensified the use of art as a means of propaganda. The brutal regime was covered by happy images of Stalin together with the working class, and artists felt has if they had no independence in art anymore.
Forced famine, mass imprisonment and executions have left the 1917 vision in shambles. Revolutionary art had done nothing to improve the conditions of the poor, but the survival of these highly prized pieces and the fact that they are enjoyed by so many is a tribute to the importance and success of their art.
Link: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220629-how-teapots-were-used-to-spread-russian-propaganda
