These social-realist posters you show us, why they're hauntological glum par excellance !
When resurrected in retro-futur mode and postmodernly smiling at you, they invoke Ostalgia, which however forecloses their original function in actually-existing Socialism *which I had the opportunity to experience in Yugoslavia: to be the Soviet version of Walt Disney, ie hyperrealist aesheticization.
Walt Disney and social realism share the Happy ending, and the thin line between Soviet and American Communism is blurry.
most of the posters i've put up are from the 20s mind you, when the full socialist realist drabness had yet to kick in. occasionally i'll put up a later one, but not usually for reasons of aesthetic excellence (tho i think they get much better in the 70s for some historically inexplicable reason)
Yes indeed but this Ostalgic-hauntological insurrection of yours clearly demonstrates to me that whether you do post-industrial glum, or campy socrealist UDARNICKI optimism, nowadays it's all one and the same Moebius fucking strip (check out k-punk's musings on A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE or my owm on Jan Svankmajer's LUNACY)
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These social-realist posters you show us, why they're hauntological glum par excellance !
When resurrected in retro-futur mode and postmodernly smiling at you, they invoke Ostalgia, which however forecloses their original function in actually-existing Socialism *which I had the opportunity to experience in Yugoslavia: to be the Soviet version of Walt Disney, ie hyperrealist aesheticization.
Walt Disney and social realism share the Happy ending, and the thin line between Soviet and American Communism is blurry.
hmm yes- eisenstein liked disney too y'know
most of the posters i've put up are from the 20s mind you, when the full socialist realist drabness had yet to kick in. occasionally i'll put up a later one, but not usually for reasons of aesthetic excellence (tho i think they get much better in the 70s for some historically inexplicable reason)
Yes indeed but this Ostalgic-hauntological insurrection of yours clearly demonstrates to me that whether you do post-industrial glum, or campy socrealist UDARNICKI optimism, nowadays it's all one and the same Moebius fucking strip (check out k-punk's musings on A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE or my owm on Jan Svankmajer's LUNACY)
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