UDTR Global Rights of Nature Radar

«What Kind of Landscape Do We Need?»: The Depiction of Nature as an Ideological Instrument of Soviet Imperialism

Identification

Public canonical key

doi:10.17721/2518-1270.2026.79.17

Authors

Polina Bukharina

Reported year

2026

Reported language

en

Source type

article

First detected

2026-11-09T19:14:54.809434+00:00

Last metadata observation

2026-11-09T19:14:54.809434+00:00

Last HTTP verification

Not checked

Institutions reported by the source

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

Documentary abstract — original language

Relevance. The article examines the transformation of landscape art within Socialist Realism from the late 1920s to the 1950s. Despite its apparent apolitical nature, the depiction of nature within the method of Socialist Realism played a key role in shaping public consciousness. Identifying the mechanisms that turned landscape painting into an instrument of ideological influence is crucial for understanding the underlying processes of Soviet cultural policy. The aim of work is to analyze the ideological transformation of the landscape genre in Ukrainian art during the 1930s – 1950s in the context of socio-political and economic changes, particularly collectivization and industrialization. Research Methodology. The methodology is based on the principles of historicism, objectivity, and systematic analysis. The method of critical source analysis was employed to examine Soviet art periodicals from the 1920s to the 1950s. Results of the Study. The research demonstrates that the attitude towards landscape art evolved from complete rejection to its full integration into the ideological apparatus. An analysis of art criticism from the late 1920s to the 1950s made it possible to trace the transformation of the landscape’s role as an ideological tool and to outline the specific requirements imposed upon it. Conclusions. Within Socialist Realism, landscape art emerged as an artistic medium that became a distinct political practice for conveying ideological frameworks. The influence of landscape painting extended beyond the mere perception of nature to encompass the practices of its transformation, particularly collectivization and industrialization. The requirements for these depictions – namely anthropocentrism, narrative quality, and an affirmative, life-asserting character – reveal the landscape’s function as a tool for constructing a collective vision that naturalized the imperial and modernization policies of the totalitarian regime. Landscape painting did not merely reflect but actively produced the perception of Soviet reality.

Identifiers

OPENALEX

W7155037029

DOI

10.17721/2518-1270.2026.79.17

Documentary context

Documentary family

Scholarship

Source-reported types

article

Natural entities mentioned

Landscape

Entity mentions are not evidence of legal recognition. Jurisdiction studied is separate from author affiliation country.

Sources

OpenAlex · Record 1 · Record 2

• DOI · https://doi.org/10.17721/2518-1270.2026.79.17
• OpenAlex · https://openalex.org/W7155037029

Documented bibliographic relations

Source-declared references and links; they do not establish legal support or UGLC qualification. Up to 20 outgoing references are displayed.

• openalex:w1973557404 · CITES
• openalex:w2100896193 · CITES
• openalex:w2559929585 · CITES

0 incoming references within the detected corpus

Documentary status

Relevance pending

Library

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