Red! Art in the Land of Soviets

SYNOPSIS

Russia, February 1917. A series of strikes rocks the capital Saint Petersburg bringing to an end centuries of Tsarist rule. New artistic movements flourish, including Rayonism, Suprematism and Constructivism, each bolder, more inventive than the last. Revolutionaries and artists march side by side with Malevich, Goncharova, Kandinsky and Rodchenko serving as figureheads and playing an active role in building the new society. Fifteen years later under Stalin's yoke, avant-garde artists have no choice but to adopt a naturalist aesthetic more accessible to the masses, and realist painters are placed on a pedestal. However, following Stalin's death, a new generation of artists emerges, such as Deyneka followed by Bulatov and Kabakov, who excels in circumventing the rules in order to revive creativity and innovation in forms. Using archive images, documents and filmed footage along with research into graphic design, the film tells the story of the rise of movements that in a flourish of activity helped shape 20th century art.