The Arts Ability to Create a Collective Mindset: A Study of the Russian Craft Revival and Socialist Realism

Abstract

In order to study how art can be used to unite a group of people, oftentimes in order to reach a specific goal, mindset or agenda, this thesis will consider the Russian Craft Revival and Socialist Realism. Historical context surrounding these movements helped especially in the Craft Revival, however the influences that each art style used to create a universal visual language were also used to unite the peasantry and emerging middle class. The Craft Revival moved in a more naturalistic way towards this idea of the collective, while Socialist Realism was able to dominate all other genres and make Socialist Realism the state-sanctioned visual language.