Faster, higher, stronger, comrades! : sports, art, and ideology in late russian and early soviet culture / Tim Harte.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Harte, Tim, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sports--Social aspects--Soviet Union--History.

Sports.

Sports--Social aspects--Russia--History.

Arts, Russian--Themes, motives.

Arts, Russian.

Sports in literature.

Sports in art.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (322 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

Madison, Wisconsin : University of Wisconsin Press, 2020.

Summary:

The revival of the Olympic games in 1896 and the subsequent rise of modern athletics prompted a new, energetic movement away from more sedentary habits. In Russia, this ethos soon became a key facet of the Bolsheviks' shared vision for the future. In the aftermath of the revolution, glorification of exercise persevered, pointing the way toward a stronger, healthier populace and a vibrant Socialist society. With interdisciplinary analysis of literature, painting, and film, Faster, Higher, Stronger, Comrades! traces how physical fitness had an even broader impact on culture and ideology in the Soviet Union than previously realized. From prerevolutionary writers and painters glorifying popular circus wrestlers to Soviet photographers capturing unprecedented athleticism as a means of satisfying their aesthetic ideals, the nation's artists embraced sports in profound, inventive ways. Though athletics were used for doctrinaire purposes, Tim Harte demonstrates that at their core, they remained playful, joyous physical activities capable of stirring imaginations and transforming everyday realities.

Contents:

Introduction: The beauty and idealism of sports

The cult(ure) of the circus wrestler in pre-revolutionary Russia

Lyrical games: the poetics of Russia's modern sports movement

Revolutionary goals: modern sports in Russian and early Soviet avant-garde art

An eye for athletics: silent cinema and early Soviet sports

Framing the future: Soviet sports in early Soviet photomontage and photography

Higher and faster: art in the era of Stalinist sports

Conclusion and coda: "unearthly order and splendor."

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780299327736

0299327736