Three Lives of a First-Grader: The Metamorphosis of Anatoly Volkov’s Painting

Anatoly Volkov’s painting “September 1” (“At the Mirror”) has a paradoxical history. Myths say Stalin was painted over, but the truth is in its three versions.

The 1950 sketch shows an empty wall—Volkov sought the right image. In 1951, for Soviet approval, he added Stalin’s portrait and a bust. This version was mass-reproduced. After 1956’s de-Stalinization, printing plates removed Stalin—leaving a blank wall, echoing the first sketch.

#ИскусствоСССР #СоветскоеИскусство #Десталинизация

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