Construction of a Narrativeabout Socialist Realism in English-Language Art Criticism Discourse (based on Texts of Matthew Bown)

Abstract

Based on the texts of the British expert Matthew Bown, the article deals with the issue of constructing a narrative about the Soviet fine arts. The aim of the study is to analyze the patterns of narrative formation and identify its significant elements. The frame CREATING NEW ART serves as the cognitive basis of the narrative. This frame is characterized by variability and has two main configurations, which can be represented as two scenarios. These scenarios differ in the composition of the actors and the content of the tasks they solve. The actors of the first scenario, actualized in the narrative within the framework of the “friend or foe” opposition, are the ideologists of socialist realism, party leaders and representatives of the creative elite. Their tasks include the formation of the ideology and content of the new art. The actors of the second scenario, updated within the framework of the opposition “self / other”, are Soviet artists. Their task is to develop a language of art that meets ideological requirements and at the same time realizes their creative potential. The article substantiates M. Baun’s willingness to see in socialist realism not only an ideological trend, but also a significant artistic direction. This approach contributes to the disclosure of the value component of socialist realism painting and the transmission of the historical cultural memory of this phenomenon to the world community.

Keywords

• english-language art history discourse
• fine arts of socialist realism
• narrative
• opposition friend or foe
• cultural memory