The October Revolution of 1917 is an event that shocked the whole world. The triumph of the proletarian style manifested itself in public life, art, and industry. At this time, the process of creating a completely new culture is being launched, in which many representatives of the creative intelligentsia have joined.
How did Soviet propaganda china come about?
At the beginning of the 20th century, the history of Russian porcelain is more than ever closely connected with the political situation. The attention of party leaders and creative personalities is riveted to the production of white clay products. The State Porcelain Factory, which was located in Petrograd, turns into the main center of the country's ceramics. In 1918, it was headed by S. V. Chekhonin, a famous book graphic artist and one of the best specialists in his field.
Interested in the ideas of the revolutionand overwhelmed by a thirst for activity, he dreams that the products of the plant will be included in the propaganda of the revolution. In this, the master, who became the ancestor of Soviet propaganda porcelain, sees the novelty of creative expression. Chekhonin develops a new style based on a combination of images and inscriptions that explain them. It was a rather original way of propagating the values of the proletariat, along with the poster, another cutting-edge art. This is how a significant phenomenon for our country is born.
Revolutionary slogans and political drawings
Already in the fall, tableware with revolutionary symbols and slogans appears, and the factory itself, which previously produced products for the royal court, is transferred to the People's Commissariat as a testing laboratory of republican significance. Immediately he receives an order for the production of busts of great people of our time and decorative items with revolutionary slogans.
The first product on a given theme is a huge anniversary dish, made according to the drawing of the head of the plant with the coat of arms of the RSFSR. The hallmark of the new socialist state shines in gold against a black background. Porcelain turns into an elite material, the form of which is perfect, and the execution is impeccable. Miniature sculptures, paintings on dishes with photographic accuracy depict everything that happens in life. Revolutionary slogans and drawings, which flaunted scenes of a new way of life, Soviet emblems - all this was addressed to all people, and not toindividual connoisseurs of beauty. Soviet propaganda porcelain, born of the revolution, was a real conductor of the ideas of the Bolsheviks.
Novelty of the subject
New artists come to the plant, confident that breaking the old is necessary, including the need to replace not only people's ideas, but also the objective world around them. However, the novelty of the subject brings a lot of trouble: the difficulties are associated with the fact that you have to work from photographs and portraits. Unusual technique requires new means of expression. And soon propaganda china is moving closer to the graphic art of a political poster.
The dishes are made in an unusual style, and the painting on it becomes brighter. The text woven into the ornament is combined with Soviet emblems - images of a hammer and sickle. Plates with portraits of V. Lenin, K. Liebknecht, R. Luxembourg, Decembrists are produced. There are also porcelain sculptures depicting people serving the cause of the revolution - sailors and Red Guards.
Products not for the masses
It was originally intended that propaganda china would be accessible to all walks of life, and people who develop excellent taste would be drawn to beauty. However, it so happened that the unique products that capture what is happening do not reach the buyers, settling in the bins of collectors. A real rush begins in the antique market, and hunters for masterpieces buy items at auctions, the prices of which soar several times. So porcelain becomes a new articleincome of the young state.
It is a limited edition and only a few of the items are on sale.
A new art form of the proletariat
In the 20s of the last century, porcelain, whose artistic merit is undeniable, visited international exhibitions, causing admiration of visitors. It is no coincidence that foreign journalists wrote that the revolution found its best reflection in the propaganda china of the USSR. Experts praised the artist's skill, calling their work "a new kind of proletarian art".
But in the country, products of this kind, the collection appeal of which is obvious to contemporaries, were exhibited only behind glass, in street windows on the main streets of Moscow and Petrograd, where people were always crowded.
Stop production
But already in the 40s, the production of ceramic products ceased. Campaign murals are becoming a thing of the past, and their place is being taken by plastic porcelain.
Due to increased demand, some factories still continue to produce plates with political slogans, but their quality leaves much to be desired. And for collectors, they are of no interest.
Dulevsky porcelain: style and sophistication
One of the significant centers of porcelain production was the factory in Dulevo near Moscow, which was founded by Terenty Kuznetsov. In 1918, it was nationalized, and the masters began to master domestic raw materials and new technologies. Revolutionary themes become the onlythe content of the painting of products in which political slogans are unthinkable without external beauty.
Propaganda porcelain from Dulevo soon appears - plates with the coat of arms of the USSR, which were never intended for use in everyday life. Products of rare beauty were created by craftsmen brought up in the traditions of the past. The revolutionary rigor of the campaign objectives was neutralized by the sophistication of the pre-existing style.
The products of the factory of that time are always the focus of famous London auctions.
Collectors Hunt
The phenomenon, which has no analogues in world history, is of great interest to contemporaries. Agitation porcelain is a mirror of culture, life and way of life of an entire era. Products reflecting the canons of art are extremely popular even now. They are hunted by collectors willing to pay £4,000 for a painted plate, and all those who want to keep memories and remember our history.
This is an expensive antique, which is a real work of art, and rarities have long been sold to private collections.
