Socialist Realist Art in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

Posted on 15/08/2025 by Michael

The daughter of Soviet Kirghizia – SA Chukov

Socialist Realist Art in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

Introduction

It’s not just the manner in which public statues and monuments are treated that tells you a lot about a particular post-Soviet, post-Socialist society but how they choose to tell the story of the past in their art galleries. Art galleries were constructed in all towns and cities in Socialist societies, showcasing the work of local and national artists. Although all art from the past tells a political story (although then and now such a connection to politics is denied – ‘art for art’s sake’) in Socialist societies the importance of art (in all its forms) in the construction of Socialism was stated explicitly.

In all the countries that started along the road of the construction of Socialism in the 20th century the vast majority of the people would never have had the opportunity to view any of the art works that had been accumulated by the aristocracy and the wealthy – even in those ‘public’ art galleries that did exist. Even though the Hermitage Museum was open to the ‘public’ in 1852 few workers from the steel mills, sailors from the Imperial Fleet or any peasant who had reason to be in Saint Petersburg pre-1917 would have walked along such ‘hallowed’ corridors.

But as statues and monuments from the early 1990s started to disappear from the streets of those once Socialist countries so did paintings and sculptures (gradually in some places more rapidly in others) from the art galleries. Sometimes cloaked as a normal reorganisation of the collection what happened was that paintings which made an overt reference to leaders from the Socialist past or sculptures of those leaders were removed to be replaced with … what? The problem was that if the curators didn’t want to have bare walls they had to have some of those images from the Socialist period – or the galleries would just have to shut down.

It was ‘easier’ to replace public statues with something new but it also became problematic. Lenin and Stalin were deposed in Tirana to be replaced by the fascist, collaborator and self-proclaimed monarch, Zog – as well as some other ‘monuments’ . In Moscow the statues of Soviet leaders were placed in a museum park across the river from what must be one of the greatest monstrosities to be placed in the open air, that is the huge mess which is the monument to Peter the ‘Great’. In Tbilisi VI Lenin was replaced by a character from mythology, Saint George slaying a dragon. In Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan gaudy statues of feudal lords now ‘adorn’ squares and public spaces once occupied by Soviet leaders.

What all these replacements have in common is a separation from the working class. They bear no relationship to their daily struggles and these images only reaffirm their subservience to the capitalist ruling order.

When it comes to art galleries it’s not too easy to fill the empty places and many locations in post-Socialist societies still display (often the less ‘controversial’) examples from the period on their walls.

Below are details about the galleries and examples of the art on show at three art galleries in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Regional Art Museum – Atyrau – Kazakhstan

Atyrau Art gallery

This is a small art gallery, of just two storeys, with the collection of Soviet era paintings and sculptures on the first floor. It doesn’t seem to get many visitors and was very quiet on my visit. For those interested in other aspects of Kazakh culture the Regional Museum is just across the road.

Amongst the collection are still some overtly political paintings and prints. However, I am unable to include these in the slide show as I was prevented from taking pictures half way through my visit. I had only been in the country a short time and wasn’t aware that trying to take pictures with anything other than a mobile phone will get you jumped on.

Location;

11 Azattyk Avenue, which is a side street off the main road close to the Central Bridge over the ural River, on the ‘Asian’ side.

GPS;

47.10632 N

51.92281 E

Opening Hours;

Monday – Friday; 09.00 – 19.00

Saturday and Sunday; 10.00 – 19.00

Closed between 13.00 and 14.00

Entrance;

1000 Tenge (£1.40)

Kasteyev State Arts Museum – Almaty – Kazakhstan

Museum of Art – Almaty

This is a large art gallery in the city that used to be the country’s capital before that ‘honour’ being claimed by the monstrosity which is Astana. The collection covers many aspects of Kazakh art other than paintings and sculptures from the Socialist era with displays of what are normally classified as folk art. However, the slide show only includes work produced pre-1990. Of particular note, and somewhat unusual in such collections of Socialist Realist art, is the two paintings that depict a) the ‘tradition’ of bride kidnapping, which was fought against under Socialism but which has seemingly managed to be revived in the last 35 years and is still a scourge of Kazakh society, especially in the rural areas and b) the sad image of a young woman who is the victim of an arranged marriage.

Location;

Koktem-3 microdistrict, 22/1

GPS;

43.23603 N

76.91931 E

Opening times;

Tuesday – Sunday; 10.00 – 18.00

Closed Monday

Entrance;

500 Tenge (£0.70)

Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts – Bishkek – Kyrgyzstan

The Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts in Bishkek

This is another art gallery that displays much more than the art from the Socialist period. One picture to look out for (and which will be recognised by any readers who have an interest in Soviet Socialist Realist Art) is ‘The daughter of Soviet Kirghizia’ by SA Chuykov. This is the artist’s reproduction of the original which is in the New Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

Location;

196 Yusup Abdrakhmanov Street

GPS;

42.87893 N

74.61082 E

Opening times;

Every day (apart from Monday when closed); 11.00 – 18.00

Entrance;

Free

Tsaritsyn and the War of Intervention – 1918-1922

Posted on 05/08/2025 by Michael

The Defence of Red Tsaritsyn

Tsaritsyn and the War of Intervention – 1918-1922

The area around what was then the town of Tsaritsyn (now Stalingrad – sometimes erroneously referred to as ‘Volgograd’) was a major battle area during the war perpetrated against the nascent Workers’ State by the combined forces of the capitalist and imperialist countries. At times called the Civil War it was more a War of (Foreign) Intervention in support of the reactionary and monarchist ‘White’ forces. After four years of trying to destroy each other the members of the ‘opposing’ armies (during what came to be known as the First World War) fourteen imperialist powers found common ground when it came to the attempt to destroy the first Socialist state in the world.

These attempts were eventually defeated and by 1922 the country that was soon to call itself the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics had eradicated these forces from the territory of the workers’ Republic. However, this was not the final battle as the country had to contend with internal enemies (fought against during the 1930s) and then had to contend with the next imperialist effort to destroy Socialism in the form of the German Nazi invasion in 1941. At that time the city of Stalingrad again showed itself as prepared to sacrifice anything to defeat the invader.

JV Stalin was one of the leaders of the Bolshevik Party who was sent to this part of the front and his involvement can be read about in Stalin and the Armed Forces of the USSR, by KE Voroshilov.

There are three locations in modern Stalingrad where the tumultuous events of 1918-1919 are commemorated.

Monument to the Heroes of the Defence of Red Tsaritsyn

The first is the Monument to the Heroes of the Defence of Red Tsaritsyn located on Metallurgov Square in the Krasnooktyabrsky district. The sculpture was installed in 1961 on a pedestal lined with polished dark gray, granite slabs. The monument is dedicated to the heroes of the War of Intervention, including the workers of the local factories who took an active part in the defence of Tsaritsyn against the White Guards in 1918-1919.

The sculpture is made up of six figures. In the centre, standing, is what appears to be an officer. He has his right arm outstretched to his side, angled slightly behind him, with an open palm. This gesture normally signifies a call for others, unseen, to come and join the fight. Strangely, he is wearing a long sword, the scabbard of which he is grasping in his left hand.

To his left are two figures that have a connection, both emotionally and physically. The first is an older woman and she is probably the mother of the other figure, a young male. He looks somewhat nervous but his mother is trying to calm him with her hand on his right shoulder, saying that this is what he must do to protect her and the city of his birth. He is not in uniform so represents the young factory workers who joined the fight when the city was under siege. They are further united in that both of them have a hand gripping a rifle which has its butt on the ground.

Going around to the back of the sculpture the next figure is a male in a naval uniform. He has a rifle slung over his right shoulder which he is in the process of making it ready for use as his gaze is into the distance with the impression it is from there that the enemy is approaching.

Next to him is a soldier in the uniform of the newly formed Red Army. He is looking in the same direction as the sailor and his right hand is on the trigger mechanism of a Maxim machine gun.

The final figure of the group is the only one who is not standing. This is a worker (in civilian clothing) and his head is bandaged signifying he has been wounded. However, his left hand rests on body of the machine gun and he is holding his rifle in his right. He might be wounded but he is still prepared to take part in the fight.

The plaque on the front of the plinth reads (in Russian);

героям обороны Красного Царицына Вечная слава

meaning

Eternal Glory to the heroes of the Defence of Red Tsaritsyn

The plaque on the back threatens criminal charges against anyone who causes damage to the monument but this appears to have been installed soon after the monument was inaugurated as it makes reference to the Communist Party of the Russian Federation

Location;

Prospekt Metallurgov, 1А

GPS;

48.76612 N

44.56121 E

How to get there:

Nearest Metro/tram station is Zavod Krasny Oktyabr and it’s a few minutes walk, going out of town, on the opposite side of the road to the tram line.

Mass Grave of Sailors of the Volga Military Flotilla and Factory Workers

The second monument is close to the group sculpture above, being only a few hundred metres closer to the Metro stop and in the park area that separates the housing from the major road leading north out of the city. This is the Mass Grave of Sailors of the Volga Military Flotilla and Factory Workers.

The monument for this grave consists of a single individual – a sailor from the recently formed Socialist navy based in Tsaritsyn. He is sitting on the ground, his body twisted slightly to his right as he props himself up with his right forearm and has his left hand on the ground to give him further support. As is the individual in the main group sculpture he appears to be wounded but the fact that he still has his right hand on his rifle shows his willingness to fight on – however debilitated he might be.

He is wearing his sailors cap, with the ribbon hanging down which tells us he’s a sailor but, for a reason I don’t understand, he is shirtless

The inscription, on the plinth of the statue, reads in Russian;

Здесь похоронены моряки и рабочие, побшие в боях за Царицын в сентябре 1919 г[ода]

which translates as;

Sailors and workers who died in the battles for Tsaritsyn in September 1919 are buried here

Location;

Prospekt Imeni V.I. Lenina

GPS;

48.76355 N

44.56966 E

How to get there;

Almost directly across the road from the Zavod Krasny Oktyabr metro/tram stop.

Memorial History Museum

The Hammer and the Plough

The third location dedicated to the battle for Red Tsaritsyn during the War of Intervention is the what is now known as the Memorial History Museum. I say ‘dedicated to the battle for Red Tsaritsyn’ but that, now, isn’t strictly true. The museum, located in an early 20th century estate house, was originally opened in 1937 as the Museum of the Defence of Tsaritsyn and was dedicated to JV Stalin – due to his role in the battles here in 1918 and 1919.

However, at some unknown time in the past it was decided that the museum should also recognise the White forces that fought against the young Bolshevik, Socialist state. At one time there was a statue of JV Stalin in front of the main entrance to the building but that’s long gone and now there’s even a large, stone Orthodox Cross by the entrance.

Museum of the Defence of Tsaritsyn

Inside there’s been a half-hearted attempt to represent the White (reactionary and monarchist forces supported by the European imperialist countries) in a ‘BBC inspired’ ‘give both sides of the story’ manner. This makes the whole concept of the museum somewhat ludicrous. No one in Stalingrad would ever contemplate presenting the invading Nazis in a favourable light in the Battle of Stalingrad Panoramic Museum, just a kilometre or two up the road, but the reactionary authorities got away with it in this museum.

The museum, nonetheless, is still worth a visit if not for;

the mock up of an armoured train – something I hadn’t seen before;
the horse drawn carriage with a Maxim machine gun mounted at the back;
some impressive, original banners;
a collection of posters from the period; and
an example of a small badge with an image of the Hammer and Plough. I assume this was what was considered before the Hammer and Sickle was adopted (but, so far, I haven’t been able to find out anything more about how the now famous symbol of the Soviet Union was eventually accepted as being representative of the country’s construction of Socialism.)

Location;

Ulitsa Gogolya, 10,

GPS;

48.71138 N

44.51438 E

How to get there;

The museum is in the same square as Stalingrad/Volgograd 1 railway station, just across the car park and the road from the main station entrance.

Opening hours;

Every day between 10.00 and 18.00.

Entrance;

₽ 150 (about £1.40)

Monument to Courage – Tashkent

Posted on 04/08/2025 by Michael

Monument to Courage – Tashkent

Tashkent was hit by an earthquake on April 26, 1966 at 05: 23 local time. It had a magnitude of 5.1 on the Richter Scale with the epicentre right under the city at a depth of from 3 to 8 kilometres. Most of the buildings were destroyed (including the historic ‘Old Town – which is now only a replica of the original), remarkably no more than 200 people were killed but 300,000 were left homeless.

Tashkent, with the assistance of the other Union Republics of the former Soviet Union, was rebuilt and even extended following its destruction and the monument commemorates that effort and unity of purpose. (If such an event were to happen again it’s unlikely that such a joint effort would come to the city’s aid.)

The monument was created by the sculptor and artist Dmitry Ryabichev and was inaugurated on May 20, 1976.

It’s basically in three parts. On the left hand side is a black, labradorite cube with the date of the disaster on one side and a round clock face showing the time the earthquake struck on an adjacent side. This cube is split through the date and this fracture leads in the direction of the main element of the piece – a group of a man, woman and child.

The male stands in front of the woman and child, in a protective stance, with his right hand facing any approaching danger. Although this fits into the traditional trope of the male being the protector the woman herself is not entirely passive as her right arm also extends towards the threat, with the palm of her hand ready to push back. She has turned so that the child, which clings to her neck and which she supports with her left arm, is as far away as possible from the danger. The stance of both of them gives the impression they are walking towards the threat and not running away from it. Note should be taken of the plinth upon which they stand as this continues the idea of a fractured earth with the jagged line that runs away from the cube.

The other element of the monument is a number of bas relief panels which form a back ‘wall’ to the couple. Here are represented the various trades that were needed for the reconstruction of the city. As is the case in many Soviet era monuments (celebrating both military and civilian events), here women are depicted as playing a role equivalent to that of the men in the construction trades.

The story of the reconstruction reads from the left to the right, starting with basic clearing away and preparation for the new buildings and ending in the festival celebrating the completion of the rebuilding of the country’s capital city.

The area is clean and obviously well tended demonstrating that this monument still has resonance amongst the people of Tashkent.