Images of Leningrad in Soviet porcelain art of the 1930s – early 1950s

Abstract

In the article, the researcher investigated the evolution of the Leningrad image representation in the art porcelain of the 1930s – the early 1950s. The author considered the  pieces of porcelain artists of the State Porcelain Factory named after M. V. Lomonosov from the collection of the Museum of the Imperial Porcelain Factory of the State Hermitage. In the 1930s – the early 1950s such porcelain artists as Varvara Freze, Tamara Bezpalova-Mikhaleva, Maria Briantseva, Ivan Riznich, Larisa Lebedinskaia, Elena Kubarskaia, Andrey Bol’shakov, Grigory Zimin, Aleksandr Bystrov interpreted the image of Leningrad in their works. The researcher underlined that in the 1930s the artists created the Soviet “iconography”, emphasizing its importance as the “cradle of the revolution” and a city with a  rich cultural and historical heritage. In the works of the war period, dedicated to besieged Leningrad, the artists reflected the tragic events in the life of the city with a special drama and a high degree of reliability. At the same time, the artists aimed to emphasize the greatness of  the city and the courage of its defenders. In the second half of the 1940s – the early 1950s the image of the Hero-City of Leningrad acquired a special grandeur and monumentality in the works of the porcelain artists. These tendencies were generally typical for the “Victory style” (“Pobeda style”) dominating in the Soviet decorative and applied art after the Second World War.