How a Russian artist crossed an American pin-up and a Soviet propaganda poster, and what came of it

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In our modern life, a lot of things from the past are very often manifested, and the familiar phrase: "Everything is back to square one", as well as possible underlines the essence of this review, which will focus on the artistic style borrowed in the last century. And today I would like to tell you about an illustrator who revived the art of Soviet posters in a completely new guise. Artist from Nizhny Novgorod, Valery Barykinby combining two ideologically opposing visual propaganda of the middle of the last century of two countries - the USSR and the USA, he received a completely new organic style - the Soviet pin-up.

A bit of pin-up history

To understand the essence of this style, you need to look a little into history. Therefore, I would like to remind the reader of the time when American men's magazines of the 30s and 40s were literally full of illustrations of beautiful coquettes, which became the most adored fetish item among soldiers, long-distance drivers and bachelors. Such publications were highly rated because many men, who are fond of bright pictures, managed to decorate their homes and car cabins with them, pinning them to the walls. Hence the name of this tradition came: "to pin up" - to pin up, after which a separate genre of art was later named.

In addition, the sexual and at the same time chaste objects of adoration from the pages of magazines were very soon adapted to the needs of advertising companies. And what is interesting, in those years when beautiful girls from advertisements made in the pin-up style winked at American citizens at every corner, inviting them to freshen up, shave or look in a cafe, Soviet people from propaganda posters at every step "were threatened with a finger by stern women, policemen and firemen ".

Over time, American pin-up transformed into the so-called love-style, which was dominated by images of half-naked girls and touching stories of relationships: kisses, romantic dates, parties. In the 60s, this style was radically transformed under the influence of Bondiana, which, in turn, was literally crushed by color photography. Here is such a curious story of this genre.

Soviet pin-up - a new modern style

The artist Valery Barykin used this feature of the periodicals of the USA in the middle of the last century with great skill in his work. He literally created a mix, crossing two different styles in his creations: a Soviet poster and an American pin-up. And now, for the second decade, the illustrator has been creating posters imbued with satire and humor, similar to propaganda posters from the times of the USSR in the 50s and 60s and impregnated with the aesthetics of American pin-up.

And it should be noted that the artist's amazing idea to create a huge series of amusing and nostalgic works attracts a huge number of fans to his work. And in this way, a new style in art was developed - the Soviet pin-up.

And what is interesting, in our time, many young artists turn to this style. But so far only Valery Barykin takes a leading position in this genre. And this is how the artist himself reacts to this situation: “Perhaps those who, one way or another, work in the pin-up style are very young people. Their memories of Soviet times are very sluggish. … Sometimes even I do not quite succeed …

And today the artist considers himself to be a postmodernist and is engaged in crossing one and the other, temporary spaces and geographical planes.

A little about the author

Valery Barykin (1966) is from the city of Ivanovo. At one time he graduated from the Nizhny Novgorod Polytechnic University, after which, having abruptly decided to change his professional direction, he graduated from the theater school and received a diploma of "theater artist".

In the notorious 90s, the artist had to try himself in different types of creativity: he was engaged in painting, graphics, performances, printing design. At the same time, he entered the association of artists "Gallery of atypical art" and became a participant in many joint art exhibitions. But in the early 2000s, the artist, through creative searches, embodied the idea of creating an innovative style - "Soviet pin-up".

And the question immediately arises: is there a demand for this type of art in our digital age? Seemingly unpretentious funny plots, oversaturated with small details and saturated with nostalgic notes … well, what's the big deal? It turns out there is a demand - and not small. Some viewers are attracted, first of all, by the plot contrasts of the artist's works, others by nostalgia for the past tense, and still others by interest in the Soviet past. But all of them are united by the desire for analysis, for the opportunity to reflect on what they saw.

It turns out that nothing attracts the viewer's attention more than scrupulous examination of the details down to the smallest details. And since people mainly live in details and trifles, they think a lot about it and sometimes, based on their analysis, tell the artist about his subjects what he did not even imagine when creating this or that work.

And besides, a person is constructed in such a way that the most emotional moments of his life are based on contrasts, which is simply abundant in the artist's works. Various absurdities, impartial actions, indecent behavior, on which he draws the viewer's attention, causes a violent surge of emotions. And where there is attention, there are advertisers, respectively. Therefore, the main task of the author is to find such stories that will catch the public's attention more tightly.

And as the illustrator himself tells about his creative process, he has been finalizing his works for quite a long time, adding these very details to them. Every time, looking around the finished work or, after listening to someone's opinion, he very often comes to mind to fill the void with a suitable object or image. This is how the details appear, and it is they that bring the viewer's grateful attention.

Today the artist has far-reaching plans. Generating new ideas, he with great enthusiasm tries to translate them into his work. The next step, as Valery confesses, is the genre of comics, which is akin to the pin-up style, but more multifaceted and diverse. And of course this genre will also be up to Barykin.

And the artist always speaks warmly of his wife, who is always at hand as a muse, as an adviser, and as a model. And judging by the illustrations, this tandem sang well.

Good humor in cartoons is always the key to the success of their creators. I invite the reader to watch the fascinating a selection of cartoons of the modern world, mired in digital technologies, which in our century have almost completely mastered humanity.