I. V. Stalin and K. E. Voroshilov in the Kremlin
- Artist: Yuri S. Vasiliev (Ruessian)
- Date: A copy of the painting of the same name by A. M. Gerasimov (1938, Tretyakov Gallery). 1940
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Collection: The State Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Description
The work is a striking example of the leader’s cult of personality in Soviet art. The depiction of Stalin and People’s Commissar of Defense Voroshilov strolling along the Kremlin walls symbolized the readiness of the army and the state to defend the country. The leaders tower over the sweeping panorama of Moscow, likened to the heroes of Russian fairy tales and epics. The painting was originally titled “Guarding Peace.” It gained widespread acclaim and was copied and reproduced numerous times. Yuri Vasiliev’s copy of Alexander Gerasimov’s painting of the same name (1938, Tretyakov Gallery) is smaller in size than the original, but bears Gerasimov’s signature of approval and approval on the reverse.
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (1878-1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held office as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1922 to 1952 and as premier from 1941 until his death. Despite initially governing the country as part of a collective leadership, he eventually consolidated power to become an absolute dictator by the 1930s. Stalin codified the party’s official interpretation of Marxism as Marxism–Leninism, and his version of it is referred to as Stalinism.