Real USSR » art

Oleg Popov, The Sad Clown

eugenia — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:16:03 +0000

In about six weeks this remarkable man will celebrate his 80th Birthday. Who is he? The most popular clown of the Soviet Union, also known as the Sunshine Clown, Oleg Popov is true icon of its own. Born in 1930, he had on of the toughest upbringings ever — yet he managed to become one of most recognisable people of the 20th century: he also was in Guinness Records Book for “being popular in the West and in the East”.

On top of his game. Oleg Popov in 1976.

He was training to be a plumber when, at the age of 17, his friends took him along to the local circus — overwhelmed, he later said there was no way back. He started learning acrobatics, gymnastics, tricks; he spent all of his time and money on learning about the famous clowns and their techniques. It did not take him long to become famous: his natural talent and an open smile made wonders.

In his interview for the Russian newspaper Arguments and Facts, Oleg Popov is reminiscing about the happiest day of his life:after Stalin’s death in 1953, all entertainment was banned as a deep mourning was announced. So the circus he was working at was shut, and those weeks of not doing what he loved was torturous. It took over two months for the ban to be lifted, and even then he was briefed not to joke “too much”. So coming out on stage and receiving a huge round of applaud made Oleg realised that it wasn’t only him who missed performing — it was also the spectators who needed laughter.

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Good-Natured Humour Postcards from the 1950s

eugenia — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:24:39 +0000

…and we are back on air after our short break! Sorry it was unannounced, but very much needed — and we are delighted to reconnect with you again. We’ve got lots of great stuff coming — from kids summer camps through to some amazing amateur photography as well as we shall look at each decade in detail — what 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and so on meant to the Soviet Union, and how it lived differently to the rest of the world. So — thanks for your feedback and stay tuned!

Just a very light post for today, before we dig any deeper — a very neat collection of humorous postcards — great to see some good natured jokes all the way from 1950s and 1960s.

Future Champions. By G. Valk.

Is the lion really 6 years old?! By G Valk

A portrait. By G Valk

“Taxi Stand” — “No room!” By G Valk

Stop! Can’t you see the light is red! By G Valk

Going hunting. Credits unknown.

I caught it! No, I did!

Would you like to become my widow?

No luck at fishing.

An evening gathering.

Hunting hogs.

“As short as possible, please” // “Can you make it wavy?”

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We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

eugenia — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 04:23:17 +0000

If we were to pick one the most confusing question from the history of the USSR, no doubt it would have to be the Christmas date issue. Despite the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church branches out of the Christian community, the traditional day to observe Christmas is different to the rest of the Christian world. The Russian Christmas day is celebrated on the 7th of January, not December 25th, and it is not easy to explain why it is so.

The xplanation comes from the two different calenders. In the Tsarist Russia Christmas was celebrated on December 25th, althouth there was a difference in days — as the Gregorian calendar was accepted after the October Revolution of 1917 — on 24 January 1918 the new Soviet government issued a decree that Wednesday, 31 January 1918 was to be followed by Thursday, 14 February 1918. But the Church, due to its open conflict with the newly pronounced state, decided to keep the day where it was — and so ever since Christmas is celebrated in early January. Go figure.

Nevertheless, the team of Realussr is delighted to announce our very first festive season together — we are a very young blog yet we have ambitions to grow and prosper. We were only born in June/July this year, yet we see a wonderful life ahead of us. And today we present you with a present — a collection of Soviet Christmas/New Year’s Eve postcards. Please click on the flash bit below, zoom in and explore. A bunch of warm wishes from all of us! Thank you.

If you would like to learn more please do not hesitate to click the fancy carousel. Thanks for being with us.

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Enthusiastic Photography from Soviet Russia, 1950s — 1960s.

eugenia — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:07:49 +0000

Just a very pleasant collection of photos from a private family archive. All photos were taken in 1950s — 1960s, in the streets of Yaroslavl, a small town not far from Moscow. Simple things — outdoor sports, fishing, swimming, enjoying the music or spending time with the family — these 38 photos are relishing small pleasures and bringing a smile to a face.

As always, click on the magnifying glass icon to see the photos in detail. All photos are courtesy of Sergey Kulikov, a granddad of one of our contributors. He is 86 years old now, and photography has been his hobby all along. Let us know which ones you like — or if you have photos in your family archive which you’d like to share.

Waiting for the play off.

The first half

I am going to make it!

The start line

Fishing in the bay

The big one.

Full of hope.

In the street

First ride after the winter

The team spirit

Oh those icy Russian women!

Spring: sailing the wooden ships onto the puddle water

The ice skate rink

Winter games

Dashing through the snow

Close up

A second hand book stall

The town of Yaroslavl chess championship. 1964.

The October Kids inauguration — see our article on them a couple of posts back.

The October kid.

Like father like daughter

Us or them!

Allow me

Summertime

Yyyes!

Two friends

Orchestra’s little helper

Drumming away

An aspiring trombonist

Spring carnival

Deep breath in

In the street

Yaroslavl in paintings

A young artist

The camera behind the camera behind the camera..

Girls’ stuff

They won’t make it without me

Let’s fix that now

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Social Advertising on Soviet Matchbox Labels

Lena Traer — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:26:07 +0000

Matches in the Soviet Union were an important part of everyday life. Many apartments were not connected to the central gas, power or electricity systems, so people needed matches to light a stove to make food or to boil water to take a bath.

Thus, matchbox labels served as a daily reminder of the socially accepted rules of behavior or life wisdom advice, most commonly in the form of a friend recommendation from the Soviet state. So let’s have a look at this primitive yet very quaint form of social advertising.

Honey is good for doing sports. 1959.

Do not hang onto a handrail outside of a leaving train. 1959. (In case too many people would try to get on the train).

Do not slide the doors open on a moving train. 1959.

The image below is about Kerogas: a type of a portable primus kerosene stove. It was commonly used instead of electric stoves as the energy was too expensive, and the majority of the apartments were not connected to central gas lines. Highly flammable and not that safe as advertised

It will help you more than once, this simple and safe appliance – kerogas. 1959.

Do not let the children cross railway tracks. 1959.

Do not bring highly flammable substances onboard the train. 1959.

A vacuum cleaner is a great buy: to dust and dirt you will say good bye! 1959.

Do not jump off a moving train. 1959.

I praise every home where milk is on the house! 1959.

Vodka. Villainess with a label. 1959.

Riding on the roof of a train is dangerous. 1959.

Forget the way you washed before — now the washer is there for!

Be careful with a lantern! (kerosene lamp) Be careful with a kerogas! (kerosene stove) In case of fire, call 0–1. Know how to use a fire extinguisher! 1959.

One bottle of milk neutralises the harm done by three cigarettes. 1959.

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From Admirals to Dictators: Prominent Soviets on the Cover of Time Magazine.

Stas Kulesh — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:32:06 +0000

Here’s our little something for your Monday — a compilation of Time magazine covers with a USSR focus, 1925 — 1991. The prominent Soviet and Russian politicians, government leaders, poets, composers, writers, philosophers, scientists, astronauts, dissidents, admirals and a few dictators — the list of 110 remarkable citizens of the Soviet Union; those who made the West cringe — or laugh for that matter.

The faces are certainly repetitive, yet some covers are a piece of art –this collage is worth a good look, so click on the flash bit below, zoom in and explore.

If you would like to learn more please do not hesitate to click the fancy carousel. Thanks for being with us.

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A Glance at the Soviet Lifestyle, Captured by Marc Riboud.

Stas Kulesh — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:59:05 +0000

A singing class, Moscow, 1960s

This is our third post devoted to Marc Riboud, an outstanding French photographer, who traveled extensively throughout the Soviet Union. His images captured an array of everyday life episodes from the lives of the Soviet people. Here is the first lot — and here is the second one. As always, click on the magnifying glass icon to see the photos in detail.

Please follow us on twitter and stay tuned. Oh, and thanks for being such a wonderful crowd!

Museum, Moscow, 1960s

Moscow, 1960s

Tasty and Healthy Ice Cream, Moscow, 1960s

Olympic Games in Moscow, 1980

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The 50th Anniversary of the Soviet Union in Old American Mags

eugenia — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:04:06 +0000

Life and Look on the 50th Anniversary of the USSR, 1967.

In 1967, when the USSR turned 5o, it was a big day for both the country and the world. The Soviet Union had made it through, despite everything — and the world now had to take it seriously. The Cold War, which was at its highest at the time, kept the USSR in the spotlight, too, so the media were more than interested in the young Russian country. It really is a shame that the writing cannot be deciphered due to the low resolution of these scans. However, these images convey the atmosphere of the times quite well — a wild yet sophisticated country in the eyes of the civilised world.

Swinging, critical, cocky Russians

On a picnic and out dancing, most likely.

Three weeks in a Russian town

Young Russians may speak a little English, should you need to talk to them

Rent an automobile in Russia? Why does it not sound believable?

A land of confounding diversity

An independent style of learning.

Forces of the future

Various scenes from ordinary lives

A heart surgeon and philosopher Dr Amosov– who was also an inventor, best-selling author, and exercise enthusiast, known for his inventions of several surgical procedures for treating heart defects.

Art was often synonymous with nihilism, political repressions and defection.

The dissident poets, who both defected later to the USA

Una Dolce Vita

Fashioned in the USSR, photographed in Leningrad

Russian beauties

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The Swan Song of Mikhail Baryshnikov

eugenia — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:59:32 +0000

It doesn’t matter how high you lift your leg. The technique is about transparency, simplicity and making an earnest attempt

Says Mikhail Baryshnikov, the famous dancer, actor, producer and photographer — a talent for whom the USSR was not big enough.

Mikhail Baryshnikov

Mikhail was born in 1948 to Russian parents, in Riga, the capital of now independent Latvia. His dance is prominent from his early years, so it’s no surprise that he pursues the career of a classical ballet dancer. He graduates from the Leningrad Choreography School and gets accepted to the Kirov Ballet also in Leningrad where he performs the signature roles for a number of years. Mikhail has it tough in the USSR: being not very tall by Soviet standards – 168cm only, he was more likely to be granted only second-class ballet roles. More so, he disliked the rigidity of the Soviet ballet rules which had been around for over a hundred years: he longed for innovation and his own breathing space, which the Soviet dance organizations were unlikely to grant.

At the start of his career, he was said to do rigourous yoga for further flexibility.

This is how he got to pondering a relocation to a more liberal, possibly Western country – which would have never happened, as the USSR did not allow immigration, let alone immigration to the capitalistic countries. It was somewhat predictable that in 1974, while touring Canada with the dance troupe of Bolshoi Theatre, he defected: he says he was exploring his dance boundaries. Indeed, in the first two years after the defection, he danced with no less than 13 choreographers, “looking for himself”.

Mikhail Baryshnikov by Annie Leibovitz

“Mr B”, as he was known in the West, barely spoke a word of English and very little French, had a name virtually impossible to pronounce, childish height but a huge ego to live with. However, none of it mattered as his talent, his mastery of gesture and stagecraft were incredibly compelling. “It doesn’t matter how high you lift your leg. The technique is about transparency, simplicity and making an earnest attempt.” The idea of a “random dance” appealed to him, where the thrown dice determines sequence of the dance moves.

One of the most charismatic persons in history of art.

Mikhail Baryshnikov

He left classical ballet in 1990, turning his genius towards the other forms of artful expressions: modern dance, acting and photography. Among the noticeable (and certainly less known facts) is his role as Yuri Kopeikine, a famous Russian womaniser ballet dancer in the 1977 film The Turning Point, for which he received an Oscar nomination. He has had a few photographic exhibitions around the world, and just like in dance, his clear images of what’s on the photo are portrayed with elegance and style.

Modern dance, modern days.

For him New York is home these days. Now he is a second most famous Mikhail of the Soviet Union (right after Mikhail Gorbachev).

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Artistic Photography Shortly Before Perestroika

Stas Kulesh — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:43:00 +0000

Fall’s Gifts / Rainy Day by A. Suprun from the book “Amateur Photography”, Kiev 1986

A small collection of photos from two photography books published in the 1980s in the USSR. All photographs from this set are by amateur photo artists from the republics of Ukraine (Amateur Photography, 1986) and Moldovia (Moldavian Artistic Photography, 1985). Please remember to click on the magnifying glass icon to see the full-size image.

Life by P. Balan

Red Flags by A. Lykov

The Elements by A. Lykov

The Window by A. Palamar

Graphics by P. Bodu

Again, if you need to clarify what is on the photos — do not hesitate to question. Many thanks to a Russian photographer Liubov Sautina for sending us these pictures. Please visit her Flickr page.

Just a quick recap on our availability via other resources. Here is us on twitter. Our RSS feed is here — realussr. The latest addition to our team is realussr facebook application — check it out! Soon we will have a featured authors’ page, with portraits and lifestories so you would be able to put a face to a name and also leave feedback. In short, stay tuned — there is so much more to come!

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