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[AVANT-GARDE ART EDUCATION IN REVOLUTIONARY RUSSIA] Pervaia Vserossiiskaia konferentsiia po khudozhestvennoi promyshlennosti, avgust 1919 g. [i.e. The First All-Russian Conference on the Art Industry, August 1919]

Item #1756

Moscow: 1920. 118, [1] pp., 6 ills. 25х19 cm. In original wrappers with letterpress design. Covers and spine restored, some small stains on front cover, otherwise mint uncut copy. Proceedings of an art event held during the Civil War. Scarce.

The edition contains speeches given at the First All-Russian Conference on Art Industry held on August 15-25, 1919. It was set up by the Industrial Art Department of the Art Section of the People’s Commissariat of Education. Among speakers were A. Lunacharsky, N. Punin, D. Shternberg and other representatives of the art industry. Since early 1918, leftist figures had been forming the Art Section of the People’s Commissariat of Education (PCE). It was headed by D. Shterenberg. The Moscow Department was directed by V. Tatlin with A. Rodchenko, O. Rozanova, K. Malevich, V. Kandinsky, P. Kuznetsov, R. Falk, et. al.

The Art Section initiated the State Free Art Workshops founded in several cities in 1918-1920, and founded the All-Russian Central Exhibition Bureau that held state art shows. Also, it organized discussions and conferences for representatives of the art industry. Criticism of the Art Section and its methods began in 1919, due to futurism. Tatlin was replaced with O. Brik, some artists left the organization. A conflict between the Art Section and Proletkult became more severe and resulted in reorganization of the People’s Commissariat of Education. Since 1922, leftist artists were ousted from power.

This conference gathered delegates from state industrial art workshops. Such institutions specialized in wood carving, metal carving, weaving, lace making, etc. Such enterprises regularly accepted new students. Speakers of the conference discussed student programs the State Free Art Workshops, schools of the Trekhgornaya Textile Factory, the Vyatka Provincial Art Workshops, a former Sytin’s printing shop [after nationalization, the 1st Exemplary Printing Shop]. Delegates gave speeches on craft manufacturers in Mstera (icon painting), Ivanovo-Voznesensk (textile), Eletsk (embroidery), Khot’kovo (wood works).

In plans, young socialist artists were supposed to be sent to rural settlements for cultural and ideological interaction. They became mediums between ideological organizations and masses,
making propaganda objects of art. Also, due to such manufacturers, artists rallied into large groups, so the Soviet art became more collective, not individual.
Design of covers, title page, head- and tailpieces were created by Ivan Nikolaevtsev (1902-1960), an apprentice of the State workshop of printing arts of the former Sytin’s printing shop.
Later Nikolaevtsev was a stage designer in the Dushanbe theater, and embarked on the book illustration and the type design in the 1930s. Inserts feature lithographs and linocuts made by
other students.

Paper copies are located in Getty Institute, Frick Art Reference Library.

Status: On Hold