In the Soviet Union there was a cult of personality of Lenin. In every small town there was always a monument or a bust to the leader of the revolution. Monuments and busts of Lenin - one of the symbols of the USSR.
The image of Lenin canonized in Soviet art
Busts to Vladimir Ilyich Lenin - a category of sculptural works that has become an integral part of the Soviet state. Leniniana was the canon of art in the USSR. Busts were created with the goal of perpetuating the memory of the leader, the founder of the Soviet state. Also, sculptures were propaganda of the existing system.
Busts, as a rule, were placed in front of educational institutions, in the alleys of parks, in the buildings of the Pioneer Houses, the Houses of Culture, and crowded places. Leninian began in 1924 with the Decree of the II Congress of Soviets, which prescribed the development and approval of projects of monuments to Lenin. Over 60 years, many thousands of bronze Ilyichs were created.
The beginning of Leninians
Moscow sculptor G.D. Alekseev during the life of Vladimir Ilyich received permission to create a sculpture from nature. As a result, in 1919 and 1923, two busts appeared. But these works of art were not the first. In Smolny, at the entrance to the second floor, a bust of young Ulyanov was installed, a delicate artwork by an unknown author.
During the life of Lenin, the discovery of a sculptural bronze bust in Zhitomir in 1922, the creation of which the soldiers collected spent cartridges and old weapons, took place.
After the death of the leader, the busts created by Alekseev begin to be massively replicated. The death of Lenin gave impetus to the whole movement to create sculptures dedicated to him. Many famous artists at different times created sculptures of the revolutionary leader.
