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Saturday, January 11, 2025
Boris Talberg
Soviet painter Boris Talberg did Tet-a-Tet in 1977. I love the juxtaposition of the two men,
one fully clothed and one completely nude. And that radio is special.
The Socialist Realism genre did allow semi-nudity, especially if in relation to "heroic" workers or soldiers. This looks like a very personal encounter and seems outside those bounds, but there's not even a derriere showing, so it probably passed the censors.
It is appealing as it looks like an earnest conversation is being had. Of course, it is indeed quite bizarre that the speaker is entirely nude yet the scene seems quite everyday.
Talberg was born in Leningrad of Swedish descent. He was a highly honored artist in the USSR known for his huge mosaic murals, so beloved by the Kremlin. Recipient of the Soviet State Prize, Lenin Komsomol Prize and member of the Union of Artist, probably the reason he got a pass by the Soviet authorities with this work and others. That radio you mention looks like the type used in the USSR of Stalin, only capable of receiving approved stations of Soviet state propaganda with its one knob. Rex in DC
The two subjects are the same man. A tet a tet is private conversation between two people. So this is the painter thinking about things and talking to himself.
Tant de talent artistique en Russie. The painting is like a surreal dream, with the man in a tet à tet with perhaps his alter ego. Many artiste of Russia from the time of tsariste Russia, the days of the Soviet Union and today with Poutine, have had their art and lives repressed to the detriment of Russia. Très triste.
I wonder how the Soviet authorities reacted. There's really not much to see, but given their prudishness, I have to wonder.
ReplyDeleteThe Socialist Realism genre did allow semi-nudity, especially if in relation to "heroic" workers or soldiers. This looks like a very personal encounter and seems outside those bounds, but there's not even a derriere showing, so it probably passed the censors.
DeleteIt is appealing as it looks like an earnest conversation is being had. Of course, it is indeed quite bizarre that the speaker is entirely nude yet the scene seems quite everyday.
ReplyDeleteIt does make us think.
DeleteTalberg was born in Leningrad of Swedish descent. He was a highly honored artist in the USSR known for his huge mosaic murals, so beloved by the Kremlin. Recipient of the Soviet State Prize, Lenin Komsomol Prize and member of the Union of Artist, probably the reason he got a pass by the Soviet authorities with this work and others.
ReplyDeleteThat radio you mention looks like the type used in the USSR of Stalin, only capable of receiving approved stations of Soviet state propaganda with its one knob.
Rex in DC
Thanks for the info.
DeleteThe two subjects are the same man. A tet a tet is private conversation between two people. So this is the painter thinking about things and talking to himself.
ReplyDeleteThey do look like the same man.
DeleteTant de talent artistique en Russie.
ReplyDeleteThe painting is like a surreal dream, with the man in a tet à tet with perhaps his alter ego.
Many artiste of Russia from the time of tsariste Russia, the days of the Soviet Union and today with Poutine, have had their art and lives repressed to the detriment of Russia. Très triste.
Freedom of expression has been an infrequent and short lived thing in Russian history.
Delete