Abstract
Socrealism is „an attempt to translate Marxism into the sphere of art” . This term appeared first in 1932 in the soviet press. It is, more formally, an artistic current; it was indeed the official art trend imposed by the Communist regimes. It originates in the Union of Socialist and Sovietic Republics (USSR), where it was officially implemented as the unique form of art in the country in 1934, by the Congress of Sovietic Writers, after several years (since 1917 and the October Revolution indeed) of artistic debates. The Russian artists were to decide whether they had to support artistically the new Communist regime, and, if yes, which form of art would be the most appropriate. The debates were facilitated by a flourishing vanguard of young artists, eager to translate and glorify the radical social and political changes. However, vanguard art was deemed too sophisticated, too complicated for the „basic” masses the communist regimes aimed at representing (at least, theoretically speaking). Eventually, the socialist realism trend, mainly embodied by the Russian artist Maxim GORKY, won. Indeed, realism was put in opposition with the bourgeoisie's art, such as surrealism or vanguard art.
