"The question of the relationship of art to social life has always played a very important
part...[and] has reached a certain level of development. More often than not the question has
been resolved in two ways which are directly contradictory to each other... Art must promote the
development of human consciousness and the improvement of the social order.
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Others
decisively reject this viewpoint in their opinion, art is an end in itself, and to turn it into a means
of achieving some other end, however noble, is to lower the dignity of a work of art"
-Georgi Plekhanov
"Art for art's sake---such an idea is strange now-a-days as 'wealth for wealth's sake,' 'science
for science's sake,' and so on. All human activities should serve a useful purpose for man, if they
are not to be empty, frivolous occupations. Wealth exists so man may use it, science so that she
may be man's guide, and art also must serve some essential purpose and not be an idle
amusement." -Nikolai Chernyshevsky
"Art does not ornament, does not agitate, does not delight, does not relieve depression and
does not serve as a means of enrichment---art arguments human experience, deepens and
broadens knowledge of the world, of man, and of their mutual relationships"
-Nikolai Punin
"Art belongs to the people. It must let its roots go down deep into the very thick of the labouring
masses. It should be understood and loved by these masses. It must unite and elevate their
feelings, thoughts and will. It must awaken and develop the artistic instinct within them. Must we
serve sweet cakes to a small minority while the workers and peasants are in need of black
bread?" -Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
It has often been debated whether art is a reflection of life or if life is a reflection of art. The
years that preceded the Russian Revolution and the ones that established the Soviet State are
a great example of life reflecting art. Rarely in history does one find a revolutionary spirit
predicted and documented in art as well as a whole new culture defined by the artists.
The
establishment of the Soviet State and the utopian goal in the new society could not have been
visualised without the cooperation of the artist and the government in this time period. The new
Russian Federation is flanked by the possibility of revolutions within the next few years and art
could once again play an important part determining how stable Russia will be.
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AKHAND PRATAP SINGH
