ХУДОЖНИК И ПОЛИТИКА: РЕВОЛЮЦИЯ И ГРАЖДАНСКАЯ ВОЙНА В ТВОРЧЕСТВЕ И. А. ВЛАДИМИРОВА

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The article is devoted to the work of the famous Russian artist I. A. Vladimirov. Being one of the classics of socialist realism, in 1917–1921 he created a series of drawings little-known in Soviet times, which showed extremely negative changes in the life of the country during the Revolutions and the Civil War. By analyzing various works of the artist and correlating his creativity with the milestones of his biography, the author shows the historical and artistic authenticity of his paintings. I. A. Vladimirov’s cooperation with the police and the Cheka at the beginning of Soviet regime a priory proves the artist’s good awareness of what was happening in the country and gives documentary value to his works. At the same time, being closely associated with Western illustrated publications (“The Graphic”, “L’Illustration”), as well as English and American charitable organizations (“Young Men’s Christian Association”, American Relief Administration), Vladimirov created many watercolors “to order”. Vladimirov’s paintings are certainly valuable as a historical source, but V. P. Bogdanov suggests dividing his works into those intended for the “domestic audience” and those designed for the English-speaking public. The works addressed to the Western viewer are exaggeratly grotesque. In order to achieve the desired effect, the artist uses the negative clichés developed by himself. It is these works, which most unattractively portray the Russian reality of the beginning of the Soviet power. As a result, they are still used as a tool in anti-Russian propaganda and information warfare. In turn, the images found in drawing for a Western audience, appeared periodically in Vladimirov’s works in the 1930s and 1940s. The work of I. A. Vladimirov is a vivid example of the influence of biographical facts and external conditions on the artist’s works.