During the Soviet Era, numerous portraits, landscapes, genre and public scenes were painted by lacquer miniature artists featuring Vladimir Ulyanov Lenin. Images of the revolutionary leader of the world proletariat were mostly painted for political reasons, as icons of the Communist Party, and some of the artists may have been communists at heart themselves. Most any high official awards ceremony was incomplete without a lacquer miniature depicting the founder of the Soviet State.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s a new theme called "Leniniana" emerged in Fedoskino lacquer miniature. Here are the artists that are mentioned in N. Malakhov's "FEDOSKINO", 1990, Izobrazitelnoye Isskusstvo Publishers, Moscow, ISBN 5-85200-183
A.I Kozlov created portraits of V.I. Lenin, F.E. Dzerjinskiy, and A.M. Gorky.
N.M. Babashko created a series of Lenin miniatures: "Childhood of Volodya Ulyanov", "V.I. Lenin in Petersburg", portraits of "N.K. Krupskaya", and "Zoya Kosmedemyanskaya".
S.V. Monashov created portraits of Lenin and artists of the Bolshoi Theater.
V. D. Lipitskiy created the following miniatures: "To Ilyich", "V.I. Lenin Goes for a Walk", (illustration number 88 in the above book), "Lenin Reading a Newspaper", "Lenin with Children". All of these show more daily events that Lenin found himself in, thus making him more personable.
These miniatures are highly emotional and intense. In "Lenin Reading a Newspaper" we see the leader of the World Proletariat reading the "Pravda" newspaper. The leader is both majestic but also very human and humble, very typical of high classical works of art.
M.G. Pashinin depicted "V.I. Lenin and Y.M. Sverdlov", "V. I. Lenin and F.E. Dzerzhinskiy", "Portrait of V.I. Lenin", and "Portrait of F.E. Dzerzhinskiy".
M.S. Chizhov depicted "Light Bulb of Ilyich" and "Visiting Lenin".
L.I. Larishev was the author of "Encounter", "Light Bulb of Ilyich", works which were cited and awarded the golden medal of VDNKhA (All Soviet Union Exhibition of Achievements of the People).
A.A. Tolstov Leniniana creations: "Brothers", "V.I. Lenin with Children", "Volodya Ulyanov", and "V.I. Lenin and N.K. Krupskaya in Gorki".
V.N. Frolov: "V.I. Lenin. October of year 1917", "V.I. Lenin and H. Wells".
P.N. Puchkov: "V.I. Lenin and N.K. Krupskaya in Gorki", "Lenin's Gorki" (Gorki is a resort near Moscow, where Lenin died)
N.M. Soloninkin: created a series of works about Lenin: "Ulyanov the Gymnasium Student", "V.I. Lenin on the Rostrum", "V.I. Lenin with Red Army Soldiers", "Ilyich", and "Ilyich Dreaming".
S.S. Chistov: The peasants are greeting Lenin in "Conversation". An elderly peasant scratches his head while Lenin makes a note in his notepad - illustration #166, and also "V.I. Lenin".
A.I. Graznov (curator of the State Historical Museum in the 1970s and lacquer miniature expert) mentions lacquer miniature designs with images of Lenin on them. Here is a translated fragment from this book:
The image of Lenin ... It is depicted on many lacquer miniatures. Valentina Mikhailovna Reshetnikova, curator of the Fedoskino museum carefully hands me lacquer boxes, plates, folders and address books. "Lenin - Gymnasium Student", "Lenin - a Marxist", "Lenin in Smolniy", "Ilych", "Conversation with Lenin", "Lenin on a Tribune", "Lenin Reading Pravda newspaper", "Lenin with solicitors", "Lenin playing chess with children".
The genius of Lenin has conquered the world. Artists in their works depict nations of the world praising Lenin, they are reading his books, they are fighting for his ideas, they are fearlessly displaying their love for his name. As I looked at the pictures, I remembered a speech given by the Croatian writer Miloslav Krlezh: "A tourist, who recently traveled to Spain wrote about his visit to the burial chambers of the Spanish monarchs in Eskoriale. Heavy bronze lids covered the sarcophagus of Spain's rulers from Charles V to Don Juan of Austria. A graffiti inscription on one of the lids reads "Viva Lenin". Lenin's name was inscribed on the tombs of the Spanish kings! This same inscription may be seen on the walls of churches in our cities, we know for a fact, that his name has been scribbled on the great Egyptian pyramids, cut on tree barks in the depths of jungles of India. This means the name of Lenin has become legendary, it will outlive all confronting forces, which intend to erase and destroy it".
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