In Tretyakov gallery there is a "Thaw"
ARTinvestment.RU   14 февраля 2017

Large-scale exhibition project on the Crimean Shaft will bring together paintings and drawings, sculptures, household items, samples, design, video projection with fragments of feature films and documentary footage of the "era of the thaw" in a single installation

the State Tretyakov gallery
16 Feb — on June 11 2017
Moscow, Krimsky Val, 10, halls 60-61

"the Era of the thaw" in Russian history is called the period 1953 (since the first amnesties after Stalin's death) until August 1968 — date of the entry of Soviet tanks into Czechoslovakia raziallahu illusions about the possibility of building socialism with "human face". "Thaw" became the most important political, social and cultural project in the history of the Soviet Union, one of the "great utopia" of the XX century, carried out simultaneously with the cultural revolutions and democratic transformations in the countries of Western Europe and the United States.

Not by chance such a relatively short period of time (about 15 years) is called the epoch. Time density, its richness, the most important events was incredibly high. The weakening of state control and democratisation of ways of management culture significantly revived creative processes. Formed the style of the thaw, which is the original version of the Soviet modernism 1960-х. In many ways he was stimulated by scientific advances in the field of space and atomic energy. Space and the atom — as the largest and the smallest values — have identified a range of "Ecumenical" thinking of the sixties, looking into the future.

the Pervading feeling created eyes great and new could not be reflected in the art. All participants in the creative process has been working to find a new language, capable of expressing time. First of all to change the situation have reacted the literature. Of great importance was the rehabilitation of some repressed under Stalin artists. Soviet readers and TV viewers rediscovered a names taboo in 1930-40-х. In the visual arts there was "severe style." At the same time, some artists turned to the heritage of Russian avant-garde, began an active search in the field of non-figurative depiction. New development impulse has received the architecture and design.

the Present exhibition presents a curatorial interpretation of the processes taking place in culture and society. The project aims not only to show the achievements of the thaw, to demonstrate the incredible explosion of creative activity, which gave new freedom, but also to name the problems and conflicts of the era. The exhibition includes works by artists, sculptors, filmmakers, who witnessed the changes in the most important spheres of life of Soviet man. Their polemical views on a number of issues that makes the exhibitionthree-dimensional and polyphonic.

the Exhibition is a single installation that integrates different artifacts: paintings and graphics, sculpture, household items, samples, design, video projection with fragments of feature films and documentary footage. The exhibition space is divided into seven thematic sections, showing the important phenomena of the era.

Section "a Conversation with my father" explores the dialogue of generations in post-war Soviet society. He was supported by two themes, which were decided to remain silent: the truth about the war and the truth about the camps.

the category of "Best city in the world" reveals the theme of the city as a place of contact between the public and private spheres, when the residents are not locked in small apartments in front of the TV, went to the kitchen, as it happens in the 1970-е.

In the section "International relations" deals with the confrontation of the USSR and the USA, which determined the political pattern of the world in the second half of the twentieth century. The cold war and the threat of nuclear annihilation had a decisive influence on the cultural mindset of the time. The two superpowers competed not only in the arms race, but also in the promotion of their lifestyle at international exhibitions and in the media.

"New life" illustrates the program for creating a comfortable private life, when the newly acquired relevance the slogan 1920-х years, "the Artist — on trade". Artists-дизайнерам the task was to educate the citizens of "correct" taste, as opposed to "philistinism", to improve the world of the Soviet man with the subject-бытовой environment.

"Development" offers a conversation about "the romance of distant wanderings", the desire of young people to self-determination and independence, the glorification of hard "work", that is, those themes that were used in the propaganda campaigns that accompanied the development of virgin lands, appeals to the distant. Artists and poets went on a creative trip to capture young romantics.

"Atom — space" shows how mass higher education and the development of scientific institutions has created new heroes time — of students and scholars. With the launch in 1957 "Sputnik-1" cosmos captured the minds and became one of the main themes in Soviet culture, affecting not only picturesque, or poetic works, but also the design of household objects and appliances.

In the section "communism!" becomes obvious as the successes in space exploration and scientific discoveries stimulated the imagination of artists. In the culture of 1960-х you can find many futuristic predictions similar to those that were made during the first revolutionary decade.

the Era of the thaw, was full of contradictions. The exhibition in the Tretyakov galleryis an attempt for a systematic study of its cultural heritage. It is planned that the project will be the first part of the exhibition trilogy that will continue the display of art 1970-х — in the first half of 1980-х, the so-called era of stagnation, followed by —-time adjustment.

the exhibition is accompanied By a unique publication devoted to the era of Soviet 1950-60-х. The book contains scientific articles about painting, sculpture, architecture, design, fashion, film, theater, poetry, literature, also, it deals with the questions of sociology, political science and philosophy at the time.

the Project is accompanied by an extensive educational programme, including lectures, film screenings, poetry readings, Olympiad for schoolchildren. Part of the program organized within the framework of inter-Museum festival "Thaw. To the future".

Source: Tretyakovgallery.Ru