Part of the exhibition "Unity is Strength. An Art Exhibition on the Fight Against Covid-19" at the National Museum of China in Beijing.

  • a_jug_of_marx_piss [he/him]
    ·
    4 years ago

    Always remember to iron your flags, you never know when someone is going to show up to paint them.

    • Alaskaball [comrade/them]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Lmao truly a united front among the left is that our flags are always fucking wrinkle-ridden

  • thethirdgracchi [he/him, they/them]
    ·
    4 years ago

    Hot take: I'm actually not really a fan of socialist realism because it's boring and quasi-reactionary. Socialist realism was only codified as "the" art style of the USSR after the Soviet bureaucracy began to reel in the craziness of the post-Revolutionary period in terms of new cultural forms. Constructivism (heavily supported by the Bolsheviks) is far more interesting and boundary pushing than socialist realism, while still upholding and working well with socialist values. If all art was just socialist realism I would be so sad.

    • Zezima [none/use name]
      ·
      4 years ago

      it combines history and ideology while also telling imperialists to fuck off

        • LibsEatPoop2 [he/him]
          ·
          4 years ago

          could you translate what they say? and do you have any good sources to get into cool socialist art (inc. books, tv etc)?

          • thethirdgracchi [he/him, they/them]
            ·
            edit-2
            4 years ago

            Yeah, so the first one says "The oppressed peoples of the whole world, under the banner of the Comintern, overthrow imperialism!" The second one says "Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge." As far as Constructivism goes, this is a good primer.

            Outside of Constructivism, the Soviet film industry was extremely influential and experimental at times. Check out people like Eisenstein (who invented the montage) and Tarkovsky (who is one of the best filmmakers of all time).

            The best socialist TV show I've ever watched is Dekalog, made right before the collapse of communism. Set in Poland, it's really a wonderful look at the lives of common people in late 20th century communist Europe, and very innovative.

            I love this book of Chinese revolutionary poetry. Mao's "Snow" is an absolute banger.

            Fiction-wise, I love Chevengur by Andrei Platonov and Red Star by Bogdanov.

            Yugoslav synth pop is amazing and so much fun; it's more 80's than anything from the West.

    • LeninWalksTheWorld [any]
      ·
      4 years ago

      I like socialist realism (and just realism) personally but I agree that if it was the ONLY art it would get boring

    • AdamSandler [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      No no guys listen it’s a metaphor for life or something pay me 40000

    • CommCat [none/use name]
      ·
      edit-2
      4 years ago

      I remember reading an article about new Brit art a few years ago, it talked about how this struggling artist suddenly became popular and wealthy when some super rich art collector decided to buy one of her pieces.

      There are numerous stories about how some piece found in some garage sale is worth $5 or million$, if this splatter art piece can be verified as a genuine Jackson Pollock.

      and yep the CIA was involved in promoting Modern art against Socialist realism

      https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/modern-art-was-cia-weapon-1578808.html

      • Moonrise [comrade/them,they/them]
        ·
        4 years ago

        it only produced thought because someone payed more money most people will ever see in their entire life for it. no one would give a shit otherwise.

  • Shmyt [he/him,any]
    ·
    4 years ago

    I love this sort of style, mostly for the aesthetics, but also to dunk on libs when they claim 'modern art isn't real art because it doesnt look realistic'

    • agoddamncheeto [any]
      ·
      4 years ago

      Lol for real this will be up in every clinic’s examination room in China