SOVIET ART AS A PHENOMENON OF SOCIALIST CULTURE

The article shows that Soviet art has specific characteristics that allow writing about it as a unique phenomenon of world culture. Soviet art has become not only a reflection of unprecedented social creativity, not only one of the “tools” for creating a new life, but also the most valuable achievement of culture, which puts it on a par with the greatest social transformations of the Soviet period in Russian history. The main problem of the research: how is it possible to create artistically significant art in the absence of freedom of creativity in the USSR? In the context of the problem, the article considers the factors that determine the flourishing of Soviet art: firstly, the organic connection of art with the actual existence of socialist construction and the ideal future; secondly, the novelty of life, which predetermined the originality of the event content of Soviet art, reflecting this life and serving as an inspiring stimulus for creativity; thirdly, Soviet art was associated with an element of the artists active participation in a real event, sometimes very dangerous for life, which, in the end, becomes a work of art; fourthly, the peculiar democracy of the organization of artistic culture. The elements of the state-party leadership of art are analyzed, which limit the freedom of creativity, but at the same time, to a certain extent, positively influenced the formation of its specific properties. It is shown that the authorities, exercising leadership of artistic culture, using art for ideological purposes, controlled not only the content aspect of artistic creativity, but also the formal one. But one of the main goals of socialist development was proclaimed by them to be the creation of conditions for the harmonious development of the individual. Therefore, the artist was required to democratize the language, focusing on the established, traditional forms, so that the people would understand his works. On the other hand, a system of art education and upbringing of the masses was created, allowing the people to “rise to a level” that allows them to adequately perceive works of serious art. The article substantiates the conclusions: despite the new ideological tasks that were set by the Soviet authorities and solved by artists, art became a continuation of the cultural tradition that had been formed in Russia before the revolution, which explains the interest in socialist art that exists in modern Russia; not only artistic merit and new life con