Art and the Russian Revolution

The October Revolution was not just an act of economic and political emancipation for the downtrodden masses, it also represented artistic and creative emancipation.

Individual geniuses; such as Eisenstein, Meyerhold, Stanislavski, Tatlin, El Lizzisity, and Shostakovich; rose to prominence and revolutionised their artforms. But more remarkably, millions of ordinary people were given access to the world of art and culture, previously denied to them by the bourgeois class. A spiritual and cultural uplifting on this scale had never been seen in human history.

Join Nelson Wan to discuss Art and the Russian Revolution, and why another revolution in art will not be brought about until the revolution in society is completed.

Recommended reading: Art and Politics In Our Epoch (Trotsky)

Further reading: Shostakovich: the musical conscience of the Russian Revolution / Marxism and art: introduction to Trotsky’s writings on Art and Culture

Recommended listening: