A fascinating account of the avant-garde photo-based arts from the early Soviet Union; featuring many previously unpublished imagesFinalist for a 2015 National Jewish Book Award in the Visual Arts category Following the 1917 Russian Revolution; photography; film; and posters played an essential role in the campaign to disseminate modernity and Communist ideology. From early experimental works by Alexander Rodchenko and El Lissitzky to the modernist photojournalism of Arkady Shaikhet and Max Penson; Soviet photographers were not only in the vanguard of style and technological innovation but also radical in their integration of art and politics. Filmmakers such as Dziga Vertov; Sergei Eisenstein; and Esfir Shub pioneered cinematic techniques for works intended to mobilize viewers. Covering the period from the Revolution to the beginning of World War II; The Power of Pictures considers Soviet avant-garde photography and film in the context of political history and culture. Three essays trace this generation of artists; their experiments with new media; and their pursuit of a new political order. A wealth of stunning photographs; film stills; and film posters; as well as magazine and book designs; demonstrate that their output encompassed a spectacular range of style; content; and perspective; and an extraordinary sense of the power of the photograph to change the world.
#73758 in Books Yale University Press 2013-01-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.50 x 6.00 x 1.25l; 1.07 #File Name: 0300192371400 pages
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. You can better understand Russia after reading this book.By DenisExceptionally clear; concise and original overview of the impact of USSR mores on contemporary Russian consciousnesses. The author does leap across time and places; as other reviewers mention; but he does that to make his points more clear. The book is well structured by topics. The book uniquely combines clear western perspective not poisoned by soviet propaganda with near-native view; as he spent years in the country. For example; chapter 3 gives insights on how authorities working in concordance with orthodox church distort national memory. That chapter was very revealing for me; who was borne in USSR and took some thing for granted. It feels; for westerners; chapter 5 might give the most elucidations. It explains the soviet mentality in very realistic way.Recommended2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. excellent review of modern RussianBy JohnDavid Satter's "It Was a Long Time Ago; and It Never Happened Anyway" provides an excellent recap of defining events in Soviet and modern Russian history with a common theme - the perplexing self-destructive behavior of Russian society.The author reviews historical examples of bad behavior; including the Holodomor; the Katyn massacre; and the Vorkuta labor camps. And the author reviews modern examples; including the FSB apartment bombings and the Nord-Ost siege.The examples are well described with accounts by people personally involved; thus providing interesting additional information for readers who have already studied these events.The author also reviews thoughts of prominent writers including Solzhenitsyn; Sakharov; and Shafarevich; and provides an understanding of the perverse mentalities of people within the Cheka/NKVD/KGB/FSB.The author believes that by allowing government zero accountability and complete immunity; Russian society condemns itself to more oppression. By covering-up and forgetting the past rather than exposing terrible events and making memorials to victims; Russian society condemns itself to more terrible events.Mr. Satter is hopeful that open recognition and critique of historical events could result in an improved society with a rational morality that values self-preservation.by John Christmas; exiled "Latvian Proxy Network" whistleblower and author of "Democracy Society"2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Great read for all those w trying to understand the ...By Lee H.Great read for all those w trying to understand the Russians! Well written and well researched and great perspective added through out the book. Bought it because my kids are all in the military and Russia is flexing its military muscles again so....wanted to understand a bit more about this nation; its culture and social norms. I was not disappointed because their is lots of context here to explain how Russian society views the world; themselves and resulting interactions. Lots of good examples provided.
