The second book in the joint series by Myth (МИФ) and the online lecture series “Stradarium,” authored by art critic and historian Kirill Svetlyakov, explores Soviet and post-Soviet painting, cinema, and architecture. The book delves into the consciousness and unconsciousness of the 20th-century human being, intertwining art, psychology, and culture to capture the spirit of the era from the late 1940s to the early 1990s. It covers major periods like Stalinism, the Thaw, the Stagnation era, and Perestroika, each leaving a unique cultural legacy that shaped contemporary society. Through his personal experience, the author discusses the clash between elite and mass culture, ideology versus individuality, and the contrast between formal art and nonconformist movements.
This book is ideal for readers interested in art, history, and culture, offering insights into historical processes through art analysis. It addresses enduring questions such as the uniqueness and pros and cons of Soviet cultural experience compared to the West, the alternatives Soviet culture proposed, and what remains of the Soviet person today. The book is available for download or online reading in various formats, and can also be purchased as a physical copy through partner online stores.
Эта книга – собрание моих эстетических опытов, связанных с искусством и другими культурными феноменами Советского Союза, результат наблюдений и работы над многими выставками, которые я курировал. Я свидетель позднесоветской эпохи, хотя свидетель скромный: я родился в 1976 году в Москве, и раннее мое детство – время, когда ребенок живет в стране сказок, – пришлось на период застоя, а подростковый скептицизм вполне удачно совпал с перестройкой.
This book is a collection of my aesthetic experiences related to art and other cultural phenomena of the Soviet Union, the result of observations and work on many exhibitions that I curated. I am a witness of the late Soviet era, albeit a modest one: I was born in 1976 in Moscow, and my early childhood – the time when a child lives in a land of fairy tales – fell during the period of stagnation, and teenage skepticism coincided quite successfully with perestroika.
Kirill Svetlyakov – Soviet Culture. From the Big Style to the First Raves