79
submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by lurker_supreme@hexbear.net to c/art@hexbear.net

But why? I was reading a fairly vacuous art history book and they drop all this knowledge and then do 0 analysis of it. Feels like they're saying "teehee, ain't it so quirky?" Their best guess was to counter Socialist Realism and to promote the US as an art powerhouse, a vision of artistic freedom!!! Is that the materialist interpretation?

E: Thanks for all the thoughtful responses. Genuinely. When I write that it sounds corporate, but I mean it

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] lurker_supreme@hexbear.net 7 points 1 week ago

I'm operating from the assumption that enemies of the Soviet union were competent, educated professionals. I know we have a lot of failsons and daughters nowadays, but I think (with absolutely nothing to back this up, please prove me wrong) that anti communists used to do more than spread bad vibes. There was concerted real effort to change culture and "common sense".

[-] purpleworm@hexbear.net 6 points 1 week ago

That is true, but the kind of culture war that they were waging is one that lacked successful precedent, so it makes sense to experiment with things that you are pretty sure won't backfire just to see if they end up being effective.

this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2026
79 points (100.0% liked)

art

22945 readers
124 users here now

A community for sharing and discussing art in general.

If you are unsure if a piece of media is on theme for this community, you can make a post asking if it fits. Discussion posts are encouraged, and particularly interesting topics will get pinned periodically.

No links to a store page or advertising. Links to bandcamps, soundclouds, playlists, etc are fine.

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS