What is it about?
The article explores the genesis of the Soviet Pavilion at the 1962 Venice Biennale. The art on display is treated as an expression of a new “severe romanticism,” against the backdrop of the ongoing debate about romanticism in Soviet culture. It also analyzes the reception of Viktor Popkov’s work both in Italy—the country with the largest communist party in the West—and in the international press.
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Why is it important?
On the basis of unpublished archival materials and press reviews, the article sheds light onto an artistic encounter between East and West in a divided Europe, and discusses missed connections and unmet expectations of Western art critics towards Soviet art.
Perspectives
I hope this article can shed light onto a relevant art event occurred in Europe in a crucial year (1962) and in a crucial hotspot (the Venice Biennale) of the cultural Cold War.
Dr Matteo Bertelé
Universita Ca' Foscari
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Soviet “Severe Romanticism” at the 1962 Venice Biennale, Experiment, October 2017, Brill Deutschland GmbH,
DOI: 10.1163/2211730x-12341308.
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