User:Vivaciouslytypingaway/Socialist realism

Theater

Theater is a realm in which socialist realism as a movement took root as a way to reach out and appeal to the masses. This occurred both within the Soviet bloc as well as outside of it, with China being another hotbed for socialist realism within theater.

Soviet Union

Photo of Platon Kerzhentsev

Countries within the Soviet Union were heavily influenced by socialist realism when it came to theater. Early after the 1917 revolution, a movement arose to attempt to redefine what theater was, with theorist Platon Kerzhentsev wanting to break down the barriers between actors and the public, creating unity between the two. This new way of thinking about what theater should be influenced the beginnings of socialist realism within this space, making it more communal and less hierarchical.

With the revolution, there was the ability to change the existing theatrical institutions to fit the new ideas circulating. The early 1920s saw this explosion of creativity, with organizations such as the TEO Narkompros (the Department of Fine Arts) working to incorporate new types of theater. Thus, these movements were later brought under control and solidified by the Soviet government, as individual theatrical troupes were organized and transformed through governmental support.

A part of these movements involved the reinvention of classic shows, including those in the Western canon. Hamlet particularly had a draw for Russians, and was seen to provide insight into the workings and complexities of Russian life after the 1917 revolution. Playwrights attempted to express their feelings about life around them while additionally following the guidelines of socialist realism, a way of reinventing old shows. Hamlet was re-imagined by Nikolay Akimov, for example, as a show that was more materialist in nature, coming at the end of this era of experimentation.

These movements were not merely localized to Russia, but spread throughout the USSR, with Poland being a notable location where socialist realism was implemented in theater. In order to make theater more accessible to the average person (for both entertainment and educational purposes), an emphasis was put on creating a network of smaller, independent theaters, including those in rural communities and traveling companies.

By making theater available to everyone, not simply those with the time and money to view it, officials hoped to educate the public both on theater itself and the various ideologies they wanted to promote. Beliefs that were more heavily promoted included those seen to be educational (with the idea of “teaching through entertaining” springing up), those upholding the values of nature and the countryside, and those that generally had a positive quality, especially when looking at children’s theater.

Photo of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow

Reinvention of old forms took place, along with the creation of new theatrical movements. Opera as a theatrical form was reinterpreted and reinvented throughout the Soviet Union, moving away from its aristocratic roots and towards the support of the new state. By the 1930s, the Bolshoi Theater in particular became a symbol of Bolshevik power, and the question became how to best integrate socialist realism into an opera that could be performed there. The Union of Soviet Composers, established 1932, played a role towards creating these new operas, and spoke about the importance of socialist realism in opposition to modernistic art.

China

Though socialist realism was created by and is thought to mainly apply to countries within the Soviet Bloc, China in the late 18th century can be seen to be influenced by similar ideas, often taking direct inspiration from them.

Photo of Tian Han, playwright and president of the China Theater Association

Theater in China fell under the state’s purview after the Chinese Communist Revolution, led partly by poet and playwright Tian Han, President of the China Theater Association (among other honors). He pushed for theatrical reform in a socialist manner, primarily focused on transferring ownership from private troupes to state ones, but additionally on the subject matter of the plays themselves. This focus on private ownership as something to be avoided is similar to concerns seen in the Soviet Union, as is the nationalization of theater.

In the midst of these reforms, ideas around feminism and how it tied into socialism emerged, specifically with regards to theater. Bai Wei, inspired by Tian Han, developed a style of theater in the 1920s that focused specifically on women within a patriarchal society, and the struggle to break free of it. She additionally incorporated ideas of socialist realism within her work, though did break from it in some ways, including the fact that her characters were more individualized and less collective. Strong female characters were, however, idealized and put forward in Chinese socialist realism, with these women often shown making some sort of sacrifice or grand action in service of a greater cause.

Socialist realism in Chinese theater can be seen to hone in on the ideas that it is more valuable to take action as a group, together, than individually. This is evident from plays put on during the Cultural Revolution, where common themes included a large group standing up to imperialist forces (such as a Japanese invasion, for example), with the individual characters within the play being less important than the overarching power struggle occurring. By abstracting the conflicts to those occurring on a higher level, these plays hoped to educate and influence the people watching them.

East Germany

Overview

The earliest ideas of socialist realism in the GDR came about directly after the end of World War II, when the state was formed. While planning to establish a national East German culture, cultural leaders wanted to move away from fascist ideas, including those of Nazi and militaristic doctrines. Cultural leaders first started clarifying what "realism" entailed. The SED determined that realism was to act as a "fundamental artistic approach that is attuned to contemporary social reality."

The characteristics of realism became more specified in East German cultural policy as the GDR defined its identity as a state. As the head of the SMAD's cultural division, Aleksandr Dymshits asserted that the "negation of reality" and "unbridled fantasy" was a "bourgeois and decadent attitude of the mind" that rejects "the truth of life."

Cultural officials looked back at historical events in Germany that could have acted as the origin points of the eventual creation of the GDR. The works and legacy of Albrecht Dürer became a point of reference for the early development of socialist realism in East Germany. Dürer created many artworks about the Great Peasants' War. His "support for the 'revolutionary forces'" in his illustrations made him an appealing figure to East German officials, while they searched for a starting point of a new German socialist state. In Heinz Lüdecke and Susanne Heiland's anthology Dürer und die Nachwelt, they described Dürer as being "inseparably associated with the two great currents of bourgeois antifeudal progress, namely humanism and the Reformation..." The authors also stated that Dürer came to mind "both by bourgeois self-awareness and by the then awakening German national sense of identity." The legacies of Dürer and the Great Peasants' War continued as artists produced their works in the GDR. Thomas Müntzer was another key figure of historical interest and artistic inspiration for socialist realism in East Germany. Friedrich Engels revered Müntzer for arousing the peasantry to confront the feudal elite.

Visual Art

Socialist realist visual art in East Germany was unique in its various historical influences. It also stood out with how the art style transcended the boundaries of the art doctrine at times, yet still maintained the goals the state had of communicating early forms of German revolutionary history. Werner Tübke was one of East Germany's most prominent painters, who demonstrated this expansive nature of socialist realist art in his country. Though his paintings did not always conform to the socialist realism doctrine, he was still "able to portray the Socialist utopia, and in particular the understanding of history as held by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany...

Tübke's style drew from the Renaissance art movement, as the GDR also emphasized this style in the creation of artwork, which they referred to as Erbe, or "heritage" art. He cited various Renaissance-era German painters whom he referenced in developing his art style in his Methodisches Handbuch, Dürer being one of them. He made several paintings depicting the lives of the working class and revolutionary struggle, in styles and compositions that resemble the historical German Renaissance paintings. His series of four triptychs called History of the German Working Class Movement was an example of this. Each painting was filled with action taking place on every part of the panel, along with several people in one scene, two common characteristics of German renaissance artwork.

The GDR aimed to use socialist realism to educate the German people about their history, through the lens of working-class struggle, and to evoke a sense of pride for their socialist state. The SED commissioned East German artists "to produce paintings affirming the 'victors of history.'" Tübke was tasked to create his Early Bourgeois Revolution in Germany. The state wanted to have a visual reminder of the German Peasants' War and the leadership of Müntzer in the revolt. The highly detailed mural includes many different scenes and key figures of the revolution. Dürer is included at the bottom of the painting at the fountain. Edith Brandt, the Secretary for Science, Education, and Culture, believed that the mural "would enhance the historical awareness of the population, especially the young, and serve the cause of patriotic education."

East German socialist realism started to shift in later decades, especially after the Basic Treaty, 1972 was signed by both East and West Germany. The treaty allowed East German artists to travel to West Germany and beyond to other European countries. Artistic exchanges between artists in both states introduced these new practices to the GDR, while socialist realism gained more attention by those outside of East Germany. Two exhibitions featuring artwork from both East and West Germany were curated at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in 1981. The exhibition for East German art presented itself as "the good founded by socialist realism to better embody a possible alternative to the crisis of values experienced by the West."

Film

Film was used as a teaching tool for East German cultural values. DEFA was the GDR's official film studio, which created such films. DEFA's socialist realist films were especially geared towards East German youth, as the next generation of the GDR. Leader of the SMAD's propaganda wing, Sergei Tiulpanov, asserted that the primary goal of DEFA was "the struggle to re-educate the German people–especially the young–to a true understanding of genuine democracy and humanism." The studio produced children's films to influence them, as they believed these types of films to be effective in emphasizing good citizenship and how to show children how to emulate this.

Gerhard Lamprecht's Somewhere in Berlin (German: Irgendwo in Berlin) was one of DEFA's most notable films. Though the film was produced in 1946, three years before the GDR was established, it was a foundation point for a broader development of East German socialist realist film. An antifascist film, Lamprecht emphasizes the necessity of "reconstructing the nation" after World War II. Preliminary East German films like Somewhere in Berlin "laid the groundwork for a national film culture based in pedagogical intent."

Some DEFA films were also derived from earlier German fairytales that predated the GDR. Paul Verhoeven's The Cold Heart (German: Das kalte Herz) was one of such films, which was based on the story written by Wilhelm Hauff of the same title. The film was produced to serve as a good example of how a person should treat others. The film's main messages centered on the pitfalls of greed and the value of loving personal relationships.

DEFA also employed films to be used as history lessons for the people of East Germany, namely those about the German Peasants' War. Martin Hellberg's Thomas Muentzer (film) told the stories of his leadership and the revolution in a heroic and idealistic portrayal. DEFA saw Hellberg's film proposal as an opportunity to teach about German revolutionary history, as a means of preventing a descent into fascism again. The producers gave the actor portraying Müntzer lines that embrace Marxist thought, to clearly communicate ideals of socialism and the roles of the working class to viewers. Ideas about property re-distribution and a proletariat victory over the ruling classes are conveyed in the film's depiction of the revolutionary leader.

Literature

Many of East Germany's renowned writers lived through the Nazi regime, which influenced their craft and works with socialist realism.

Anna Seghers' 1949 novel The Dead Stay Young (German: Die Toten Bleiben Jung) was considered "a foundational literary work for the young GDR." Critics commented on the pessimistic plot and message of the novel, as it was centered on the unsuccessful Spartacist uprising. Though the novel did not depict an ideal or optomistic view on socialism, critic Günther Cwojdrak stated that Seghers still communicated reality by fulfilling "the task of transforming the working people and educating them in the spirit of socialism..."

East German literature that followed Seghers' novel focused on including heroes as protagonists to communicate optimistic messages of the prospects of socialism. Journalist Heinrich Goeres suggested that writers should use Soviet literature as an example to write more positive stories.

Early works of socialist literature in the GDR were produced in 1949 "to promote the new socialist man." In later years, stories about women's lives under socialism were written, and Christa Wolf and Brigitte Reimann were some of the authors who were involved in these widening developments.

In the 1960s, the SED introduced the Bitterfelder Weg, a part of Aufbauliteratur, which was a plan to send writers to industrial centers to generate "cultural production" between the writers and workers.