Russian Art, Soviet Mandate: The Struggle for Freedom of Expression
- Saturday, December 1, 2012, 2 - 4 p.m.
- Saturday, December 8, 2012, 2 - 4 p.m.
- Saturday, December 15, 2012, 2 - 4 p.m.
Program Locations:
Jefferson Market Library (Map and directions)
Fully accessible to wheelchairs
Russian Art, Soviet Mandate: The struggle for freedom of expression
Oleg Maximov (detail)
Over the course of three lectures we will discuss the art and lives
of Russian artists working inside of Russia, yet outside of the Soviet
system from 1970 to the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991. This
period saw small groups of artists struggle against a state that sought
to dictate both the subject matter permitted and the manner in which
fine art and photography were produced. These talks will give insight
into the lives of the artists who fought for creative freedom and the
successes, challenges and sacrifices of those who dared to make the work
they believed in.
Oleg Maximov (detail)
December 1st: In the first lecture we will look at
the State enforced mandates of Soviet Realism, the role of the censor
and the KGB, and the lives of the photographers and artists who fought
for freedom of expression and struggled to work outside of the Soviet
mandate.
December 8th: In the second lecture we will cover
photography outside of the Soviet structure. We have seen numerous
examples of Soviet news and propaganda photographs, but working beneath
that façade was a thriving group of image-makers who challenged social
mores and created imagery that gave birth to contemporary Russian fine
art photography.
December 15th: In the final lecture of the series
we will look at Non-Conformist painters and installation artists from
Leningrad and Moscow. These individuals both kept alive the history of
pre-revolutionary art and gave rise to a creative voice that spoke to
life, oppression, and desire under Soviet rule.
Thomas Werner, Co-Chair of the Parsons Faculty
Council and former owner of Thomas Werner Gallery in Manhattan. Thomas
currently lectures and teaches internationally on topics of Photography,
Education, Business, Video, and the Art Market. He has had the pleasure
of working with the State Department as a cultural representative for
the United States in Russia, been a photography consultant for COACH and
a consultant for Rodale Publishing regarding contracts and licensing.
Werner is in his third term as a Director on the National Board of the
American Society of Media Photographer and a former President of ASMP’s
New York Chapter.
Thomas' research is Russian based focusing on the introduction of
contemporary education methodologies and the development of creative
cultures within the country. Over the last seven years he has visited
over thirty Russian cities, partnering with twenty nine cultural,
educational and governmental organizations to develop a series of cross
cultural and educational projects. Russian partners have included: The
State Hermitage Museum, the National Center of Contemporary Art, Perm
Regional Government, The Moscow Biennale for Young Art, National Centre
of Photography for the Russian Federation, the Central State Archive of
Film, Photographic and Phonographic Documents, and the United States
Department of State in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. His personal art
work and private collection of Russian photographs and artifacts have
been exhibited internationally. In early 2012 he began a new
collaboration with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations.
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