Figurative art in Soviet Russia circa 1921-1934 : situating the realist-anti-realist debate in the context of changing definitions of proletarian culture

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dc.contributor.advisorKlopper, Sandraen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorNolte, Jacqueline Elizabethen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2016-09-14T13:02:55Z
dc.date.available2016-09-14T13:02:55Z
dc.date.issued1994en_ZA
dc.descriptionBibliography: p. 247-263.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractIn this dissertation I demonstrate that in many Western and Soviet texts the work of so called formalist leftists and figurative artists are viewed as diametrically opposed to one another. I argue against the perpetuation of this polemic and the assumptions that inform this view. These assumptions are that the leftists produced self-referential works indicative of an anti-realist philosophy and that figurative artists produced social commentaries informed by a philosophy of realism which led 'inevitably' to Socialist Realism. Although a few recent texts warn against oversimplifying this debate, none go far enough in deconstructing the view that there were two groupings diametrically opposed to one another. In fact, many simply repeat the argument as it was articulated in the twenties and thirties, which is to ignore the possibility of a critical analysis of the theoretical principles and constraints informing the debates current at that time. Categorising leftists as anti-realist and figurative artists as realist is not satisfactory firstly because neither the leftists nor the figurative artists existed as homogenous groupings and secondly because many figurative artists (the so-called realists) in fact challenged the idea of a coherent world order existing external to the art work. Nevertheless there are artists from both these categories who asserted the importance of an objective world that was external to and a primary determinant of the art work. In this dissertation I demonstrate that these figurative artists often shared the same ideological goals with leftists. Instead of working with the idea of viewing artists of the twenties and thirties as realist or anti-realist, figurative or so-called formalist, I discuss their philosophical and stylistic choices in relation to the political and economic project of the period, namely the empowerment of the proletariat and the attempt to foster a proletarian culture.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationNolte, J. E. (1994). <i>Figurative art in Soviet Russia circa 1921-1934 : situating the realist-anti-realist debate in the context of changing definitions of proletarian culture</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Michaelis School of Fine Art. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21781en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationNolte, Jacqueline Elizabeth. <i>"Figurative art in Soviet Russia circa 1921-1934 : situating the realist-anti-realist debate in the context of changing definitions of proletarian culture."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Michaelis School of Fine Art, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21781en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationNolte, J. 1994. Figurative art in Soviet Russia circa 1921-1934 : situating the realist-anti-realist debate in the context of changing definitions of proletarian culture. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Nolte, Jacqueline Elizabeth AB - In this dissertation I demonstrate that in many Western and Soviet texts the work of so called formalist leftists and figurative artists are viewed as diametrically opposed to one another. I argue against the perpetuation of this polemic and the assumptions that inform this view. These assumptions are that the leftists produced self-referential works indicative of an anti-realist philosophy and that figurative artists produced social commentaries informed by a philosophy of realism which led 'inevitably' to Socialist Realism. Although a few recent texts warn against oversimplifying this debate, none go far enough in deconstructing the view that there were two groupings diametrically opposed to one another. In fact, many simply repeat the argument as it was articulated in the twenties and thirties, which is to ignore the possibility of a critical analysis of the theoretical principles and constraints informing the debates current at that time. Categorising leftists as anti-realist and figurative artists as realist is not satisfactory firstly because neither the leftists nor the figurative artists existed as homogenous groupings and secondly because many figurative artists (the so-called realists) in fact challenged the idea of a coherent world order existing external to the art work. Nevertheless there are artists from both these categories who asserted the importance of an objective world that was external to and a primary determinant of the art work. In this dissertation I demonstrate that these figurative artists often shared the same ideological goals with leftists. Instead of working with the idea of viewing artists of the twenties and thirties as realist or anti-realist, figurative or so-called formalist, I discuss their philosophical and stylistic choices in relation to the political and economic project of the period, namely the empowerment of the proletariat and the attempt to foster a proletarian culture. DA - 1994 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 1994 T1 - Figurative art in Soviet Russia circa 1921-1934 : situating the realist-anti-realist debate in the context of changing definitions of proletarian culture TI - Figurative art in Soviet Russia circa 1921-1934 : situating the realist-anti-realist debate in the context of changing definitions of proletarian culture UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21781 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/21781
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationNolte JE. Figurative art in Soviet Russia circa 1921-1934 : situating the realist-anti-realist debate in the context of changing definitions of proletarian culture. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Michaelis School of Fine Art, 1994 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/21781en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentMichaelis School of Fine Arten_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherHistory of Arten_ZA
dc.titleFigurative art in Soviet Russia circa 1921-1934 : situating the realist-anti-realist debate in the context of changing definitions of proletarian cultureen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMAen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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