Soviet icons as a research project

Abstract

The article is about the project of research into Soviet icons, which began at the Russian State University for the Humanities in 2021 at the Center for Visual Studies of the Middle Ages and Modern Period of the Faculty of Cultural Studies. The Soviet icon is a religious artifact created by village craftsmen (image painters) of the Soviet times – an icon, various in execution techniques, set in a wooden case (kiot). For the decoration of such icons both the traditional (for 19^th – early 20^th century) materials used – foil, paper, wax, paraffin etc. – as well as specific things that were available in the era of scarcity, poverty of the Soviet village, persecution of the Church and the inability to create religious artifacts in a manufactory way, for the market. Craftsmen used the fabric from Soviet Pioneers ties and wedding dresses, Soviet newspapers, foil from tea bags, prints on which were made with the hunting shotgun cartridges, etc. As a result, the complex bricolages appeared. Often they had icons and materials of the 19 – early 20^th century inside, covered with a layer of heterogeneous materials of the Soviet era. The article deals with the specifics of that phenomenon, explains the term “Soviet icon” introduced by the authors of the project, and describes the prospects of the project in the coming years.