“Untitled (Blumen)” by Anatoly Zverev (1983)

Anatoly Zverev was among many artists who were born into Russia during Stalin’s reign, and as an effect, experienced a limited exposure to different art forms. Zverev and others like him understood art only in the form of Social Realism, and reacted excitedly to their exposure to a variety of foreign and domestic art forms post-Stalin. After Stalin’s death, “The USSR Ministry of Culture, established in 1953 to take over the responsibilities of the Arts Committee…, which had overseen the Stalinist purges of ‘formalism,’…”, under the leadership of Nikita Khrushchev, began to not only allow the reentrance of western influence, but also actively facilitate reform by organizing exhibitions of art that had been suppressed for decades1. These reforms were somewhat short lived, occurring during what is called the Krushchev Thaw. Many artists of Russia were moved by the art of their western and domestic predecessors. Zverev took particular interest in tachism and abstract expressionism.
Anatoly Zverev’s “’Untitled’(Flowers)”, (1983), seen above, shows definite resemblance to Pollock’s early work, such as “Untitled” (1942-1944) (Right), before Pollock began taking away representational objects. The choice and balance in the two paintings are virtually analogous to each other. Also, both paintings incorporate splatters throughout the entire canvas, creating a chaotic backdrop. The most easily discernable part of Pollock’s piece is the abstract figure toward the top right corner. Similarly, in Zverev’s painting, the most easily read items are the numbers ‘8’ and ‘3’ along with the letter ‘A’ placed in the top left corner, possibly referencing his first initial and the year the painting was made. The flower arrangement is also not hard to make out, especially given the title. Other paintings by Zverev also feature every day objects, such as flowers, non-heroic faces, and animals. These images could be in response to decades of being saturated with iconic images typical of the Stalin era. Additionally, the obscurity of his subjects works to emphasize the value of the formal qualities of his painting, such as the chaotic composition and the resulting sensations.
Zverev also emphasized speed in the making of his paintings. He increased the value of and reduced the time it took to produce a visual image or message. Susan E. Reid writes, “At the festival studio in Gor’kii Park, Zverev produced a drip painting in one hour before an audience of admiring foreigners. The international jury, chaired by David Siqueiros, awarded him a gold medal for this work,”1.

1."Toward a New (Socialist) Realism." Russian Art and the West: a Century of Dialogue in Painting, Architecture, and the Decorative Arts. Ed. Rosalind P. Blakesley and Susan Emily. Reid. DeKalb, Ill.: Northern Illinois UP, 2007. 217-39. Print.