Proletkult
Encyclopedia
Proletkult was movement which arose in the Russian revolution and was active from 1917 to 1925 which aspired to provide the foundations for what was intended to be a truly proletarian
art devoid of bourgeois influence.The name is a portmanteau of "proletarskaya kultura" (пролетарская культура), which are better-known as the Russian
words for "proletarian culture".
, and help the working classes achieve class consciousness, without the process being dominated by bourgeois teachers; thus, control of socialist art properly belonged in the hands of the proletariat itself.
. The instrument for this was created just days before the October Revolution
, known as Proletkult, an abbreviation for "Proletarskie kulturno-prosvetitelnye organizatsii" (Proletarian Cultural and Enlightenment Organizations). A prominent theorist of this movement was Aleksandr Bogdanov. Initially Narkompros (ministry of education), which was also in charge of the arts, supported Proletkult. However the latter sought too much independence from the ruling Communist Party
of Bolsheviks, gained negative attitude of Vladimir Lenin
, by 1922 declined considerably, and was eventually disbanded in 1932.
The ideas of Proletkult attracted the interests of Russian avantgarde, who strived to get rid of the conventions of "bourgeois art". Among notable persons of this movement was Kazimir Malevich
. However the ideas of the avantgarde eventually clashed with the newly emerged state-sponsored direction of Socialist Realism
.
In search of new forms of expression, the Proletkult organisation was highly eclectic in its art forms, and thus was prone to harsh criticism for inclusion of such modern directions as impressionism
and cubism
, since these movements existed before the revolution and hence were associated with "decadent bourgeois art".
Among the early experiments of Proletkult was the pragmatic
aesthetic of industrial art, the prominent theoretist being Boris Arvatov.
Another group was UNOVIS
, a very short-lived but influential collection of young artists led by Kasimir Malevich in the 1920s.
With a resolution recognizing the value of classical culture, however, Proletkult had to educate its members on pre-Revolutionary Russian and world culture. It was soon realized that the only way to do this was to allow non-proletarian intellectuals a greater role in shaping proletarian culture, as they were the only ones with the expertise to do this.
The role of rural peasants, at least officially, was much clearer. In line with Marxist-Leninist thinking, the general consensus among the central Proletkult organization was that despite also being a victim of the bourgeois order, the rural peasantry could not contribute to proletarian culture by virtue of being too parochial and reactionary in their outlook.
was used as offices The Tambov
branch occupied the former building of the Land Bank.
Its main theoretician was Alexander Bogdanov
(1873–1928) who saw the proletkult as a third part of a trinity of revolutionary socialism. Whereas the unions would attend to the proletariat
's economic interests and the communist party their political interests, the Proletkult would look after their cultural and spiritual life. Other influential figures include Anatoli V. Lunacharsky
(1875–1933), Aleksei Gastev
, Fedor Kalinin, Platon Kerzhentsev
and Mikhail Gerasimov
. The plastic arts were influenced initially by constructivism
, literature and music by futurism
; with reference to Lenin ("On proletarian culture" 1920) experimental art was disapproved.
Leon Trotsky
and Aleksandr Voronsky
fought against the proletarian culture movement, labeling it self-contradictory and antithetical to the Marxist position on bourgeois art and science. Trotsky and Voronsky argued that the proletariat must hold aloft the highest technical, artistic, and scientific achievements of the bourgeoisie, as they had value for all of humanity.Trotsky believed that the study of bourgeois art was necessary for the artistic education of the Proletariat. In addition, Trotsky argued that it would be impossible for the proletariat to develop its own artistic forms, since by the time the proletariat succeeds in its historical mission of overthrowing the international bourgeoisie it will cease to exist as a social class.
Proletariat
The proletariat is a term used to identify a lower social class, usually the working class; a member of such a class is proletarian...
art devoid of bourgeois influence.The name is a portmanteau of "proletarskaya kultura" (пролетарская культура), which are better-known as the Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
words for "proletarian culture".
Background
Proletkult grew out of the theory of Aleksandr Bogdanov, who in his 1904 work Empiriomonism had argued that socialism necessitated a rethinking of the role of the arts. Bogdanov believed that the aim of socialist art was to enlighten the proletariatProletariat
The proletariat is a term used to identify a lower social class, usually the working class; a member of such a class is proletarian...
, and help the working classes achieve class consciousness, without the process being dominated by bourgeois teachers; thus, control of socialist art properly belonged in the hands of the proletariat itself.
Visual art
During the Russian Revolution a movement was initiated to put all arts to service of the dictatorship of the proletariatDictatorship of the proletariat
In Marxist socio-political thought, the dictatorship of the proletariat refers to a socialist state in which the proletariat, or the working class, have control of political power. The term, coined by Joseph Weydemeyer, was adopted by the founders of Marxism, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, in the...
. The instrument for this was created just days before the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, known as Proletkult, an abbreviation for "Proletarskie kulturno-prosvetitelnye organizatsii" (Proletarian Cultural and Enlightenment Organizations). A prominent theorist of this movement was Aleksandr Bogdanov. Initially Narkompros (ministry of education), which was also in charge of the arts, supported Proletkult. However the latter sought too much independence from the ruling Communist Party
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...
of Bolsheviks, gained negative attitude of Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
, by 1922 declined considerably, and was eventually disbanded in 1932.
The ideas of Proletkult attracted the interests of Russian avantgarde, who strived to get rid of the conventions of "bourgeois art". Among notable persons of this movement was Kazimir Malevich
Kazimir Malevich
Kazimir Severinovich Malevich was a Russian painter and art theoretician, born of ethnic Polish parents. He was a pioneer of geometric abstract art and the originator of the Avant-garde Suprematist movement.-Early life:...
. However the ideas of the avantgarde eventually clashed with the newly emerged state-sponsored direction of Socialist Realism
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of realistic art which was developed in the Soviet Union and became a dominant style in other communist countries. Socialist realism is a teleologically-oriented style having its purpose the furtherance of the goals of socialism and communism...
.
In search of new forms of expression, the Proletkult organisation was highly eclectic in its art forms, and thus was prone to harsh criticism for inclusion of such modern directions as impressionism
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
and cubism
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
, since these movements existed before the revolution and hence were associated with "decadent bourgeois art".
Among the early experiments of Proletkult was the pragmatic
Pragmatic
Pragmatic may refer to:*Of or related to pragmatism, a philosophical movement*Of or related to pragmaticism, Charles Sanders Peirce's post-1905 branch of philosophy*Of or related to pragmatics, the area of linguistics-See also:...
aesthetic of industrial art, the prominent theoretist being Boris Arvatov.
Another group was UNOVIS
UNOVIS
UNOVIS was a short-lived but influential group of Russian artists, founded and led by Kazimir Malevich at the Vitebsk Art School in 1919....
, a very short-lived but influential collection of young artists led by Kasimir Malevich in the 1920s.
Membership
While the aim of Proletkult was to develop a proletarian culture, the organization never could quite escape the influence of the revolutionary intelligentsia. As early as the 1917 Petrograd Congress, intellectuals figured prominently as lecturers on aesthetics and cultural practices, to the chagrin of many delegates to the Congress who felt that proletarian culture must involve a complete renunciation of the old order. However, the intelligentsia had traditionally figured prominently in raising the cultural level of the urban proletariat in Russia, and Lunacharskii himself lobbied for the inclusion of intellectuals sympathetic to the revolution. Though he was ultimately defeated, and the Congress resolved to restrict intellectuals to the natural sciences, the final resolution of the Congress did acknowledge the importance of the national and world cultural heritage, admitting it had a place providing the means to build the new proletarian culture.With a resolution recognizing the value of classical culture, however, Proletkult had to educate its members on pre-Revolutionary Russian and world culture. It was soon realized that the only way to do this was to allow non-proletarian intellectuals a greater role in shaping proletarian culture, as they were the only ones with the expertise to do this.
The role of rural peasants, at least officially, was much clearer. In line with Marxist-Leninist thinking, the general consensus among the central Proletkult organization was that despite also being a victim of the bourgeois order, the rural peasantry could not contribute to proletarian culture by virtue of being too parochial and reactionary in their outlook.
Political reaction
In the first half of 1918 Proletkult was allocated 9,200,000 rubles of the Narkompros budget. The Petrograd offices were set up in the Palace of Proletarian Culture, a large and luxurious building, off Nevsky Prospect. The street was renamed "Proletkult Street" (Ulitsa Proletkul'ta). In Moscow the former mansion of the industrialist and theatre-lover Savva Timofeyevich MorozovSavva Timofeyevich Morozov
Savva Timofeyevich Morozov was a Russian businessman and philanthropist.Savva Morozov came from an Old Believer merchant family. He studied physics and mathematics at Moscow University , in 1885 - 1887 studied chemistry at the University of Cambridge , at the same time familiarising himself with...
was used as offices The Tambov
Tambov
Tambov is a city and the administrative center of Tambov Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Tsna and Studenets Rivers southeast of Moscow...
branch occupied the former building of the Land Bank.
Its main theoretician was Alexander Bogdanov
Alexander Bogdanov
Alexander Aleksandrovich Bogdanov –7 April 1928, Moscow) was a Russian physician, philosopher, science fiction writer, and revolutionary of Belarusian ethnicity....
(1873–1928) who saw the proletkult as a third part of a trinity of revolutionary socialism. Whereas the unions would attend to the proletariat
Proletariat
The proletariat is a term used to identify a lower social class, usually the working class; a member of such a class is proletarian...
's economic interests and the communist party their political interests, the Proletkult would look after their cultural and spiritual life. Other influential figures include Anatoli V. Lunacharsky
Anatoliy Vasilievich Lunacharsky
Anatoly Vasilyevich Lunacharsky was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and the first Soviet People's Commissar of Enlightenment responsible for culture and education. He was active as an art critic and journalist throughout his career.-Life and career:...
(1875–1933), Aleksei Gastev
Aleksei Gastev
Aleksei Kapitonovich Gastev was a participant in the Russian Revolution of 1905, a pioneer of scientific management in Russia, a trade-union activist and an avant garde poet.- Youth of a Revolutionary :...
, Fedor Kalinin, Platon Kerzhentsev
Platon Kerzhentsev
Platon Mikhailovich Kerzhentsev , real name Lebedev was a Russian state and party official, journalist, playwright and arts theorist who was involved with the Proletcult movement...
and Mikhail Gerasimov
Mikhail Gerasimov (poet)
Mikhail Prokofyevich Gerasimov was one of the most widely-read working-class poets in early twentieth century Russia. Initially embracing the Bolshevik revolution as a liberating event and participating in the effort to create a new "proletarian culture," following the New Economic Policy he...
. The plastic arts were influenced initially by constructivism
Constructivism (art)
Constructivism was an artistic and architectural philosophy that originated in Russia beginning in 1919, which was a rejection of the idea of autonomous art. The movement was in favour of art as a practice for social purposes. Constructivism had a great effect on modern art movements of the 20th...
, literature and music by futurism
Futurism (art)
Futurism was an artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century. It emphasized and glorified themes associated with contemporary concepts of the future, including speed, technology, youth and violence, and objects such as the car, the airplane and the industrial city...
; with reference to Lenin ("On proletarian culture" 1920) experimental art was disapproved.
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
and Aleksandr Voronsky
Aleksandr Voronsky
Aleksandr Konstantinovich Voronsky was a prominent humanist Marxist critic and editor of the 1920s, disfavored and purged in the 1930s.-Early life:...
fought against the proletarian culture movement, labeling it self-contradictory and antithetical to the Marxist position on bourgeois art and science. Trotsky and Voronsky argued that the proletariat must hold aloft the highest technical, artistic, and scientific achievements of the bourgeoisie, as they had value for all of humanity.Trotsky believed that the study of bourgeois art was necessary for the artistic education of the Proletariat. In addition, Trotsky argued that it would be impossible for the proletariat to develop its own artistic forms, since by the time the proletariat succeeds in its historical mission of overthrowing the international bourgeoisie it will cease to exist as a social class.