130 years of Mayakovsky: Art, communism, and revolution – Socialist Appeal
The great revolutionary artist Vladimir Mayakovsky was born 130 years ago, on 19 July 1893. His life, and the mark he left on poetry, theatre, and design, have captured the interest of radicals and revolutionaries ever since.
Today, as growing numbers of workers and youth become radicalised by the deepening crisis of capitalism, we remember Mayakovsky and celebrate his lifelong struggle for revolution, which he strove to give a voice to through his art.
Mayakovsky was born in a small town in Georgia, then part of the Russian Empire, during a tumultuous period.
The revolutionary events of 1905 inspired a whole generation including the young Mayakovsky, who devoured the songs and literature of the time.
His father was from a noble background, though by no means wealthy. When he died in 1906, the family were left with almost nothing, and were forced to move to Moscow.
There, while studying at the 5th Classic Gymnasium, Mayakovsky aligned himself with the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP), becoming an active revolutionary.
He took part in Marxist reading groups, propaganda, and other practical activity during the period of black reaction that followed the defeat of the 1905 revolution.
Oppressive Tsarist laws and secret police forced the party and its members underground. Mayakovsky was arrested several times for working at an illegal printing press, smuggling literature, and breaking political prisoners out of jail.
While in prison, Mayakovsky studied art and literature, and began writing poetry.
He was always dissatisfied with the greats, like Alexander Pushkin and Fyodor Dostoevsky. He felt deeply that the hypocritical ideals and sentimental lyricism of bourgeois literature were utterly unfit for the new turbulent period, and called for them to be castoverboard from the ship of modernity.
This desire to break with the past reflected a genuine revolutionary spirit. But it also spoke to some of the limitations of Mayakovskys thought.
In his haste to chart a new course for Russias cultural life, he had a tendency to throw the baby out with the bathwater. In fact, on cultural matters, the working class had much to learn from Russias grand artistic lineage.
On release from prison, Mayakovsky drifted from the Bolsheviks. Enrolling at the Moscow Art School in 1911, he fell in with a group of rebellious bohemians who together would forge the Russian Futurist movement.
They shared with Italian Futurism a hatred of the past and a fascination with speed, technology, and the big city.
This appeared as a total anathema to the stultifying obelisk Tsarist Russia had become, and the wooden realist tradition that dominated its cultural output at the turn of the 20th century.
The Russian movement, however, developed somewhat independently from its Italian counterpart. The left Futurists around Mayakovsky, in particular, were hostile to the fascist sympathies held amongst their Italian counterparts, by the likes of Marinetti.
The Russian Futurists attacked bourgeois art and morality, expressing a mood not unlike that which prevails amongst many young people today, who are rightfully repulsed by thedegeneration and profiteering in artand wider society.
Futurism was always constrained by its origins. It reflected the youthful contempt of petty-bourgeois intellectuals disgusted with the old order and its stagnant cultural life, but ill-equipped to fight for a new one.
Nevertheless, as Trotsky later wrote: If the Futurist protest against a shallow realism had its historic justification, it was only because it made room for a new artistic recreating of life, for destruction and reconstruction on new pivots.
As the First World War broke in 1914, and class struggle in Russia began to grow again, Mayakovskys art became increasingly political.
When, in 1917, the Russian masses overthrew the hated Tsar, and fought to establish the first workers state in history, Mayakovsky put his considerable talents entirely at the service of the revolution.
He wrote great rallying poems such as Left March. He produced a play celebrating the October Revolution. And he painted Bolshevik posters.
The revolution provoked an enormous flourishing of art. The gilded doors of Russias immense cultural legacy were opened to the masses for the first time, and a generation of artists were inspired to capture the spirit of the new world through their craft.
Mayakovsky became a highly celebrated and popular artist, with his poetry enjoying particular acclaim.
He threw himself wholly into, as he saw it, the revolutionary task of reshaping Russias cultural life. This involved collaborations with many of the greatest artistic figures of the time: the constructivist painter Malevich; theatre director Meyerhold; graphic designer Rodchenko; legendary filmmaker Eisenstein; and even the young composerShostakovich.
Yet, despite holding the latters personal admiration, Lenin did not hold Mayakovsky in great esteem, whose work he dubbed hooligan communism. He held similar views on Futurism in general.
Partly, this was down to Lenins self-confessed conservatism on artistic matters. But he was also likely conscious of the political problems in Mayakovskys outlook.
Trotsky who was much more open to experimental art recognised Mayakovskys enormous talent, naming him the greatest poet of the [Futurist] school. But he also saw the artists weaknesses.
He criticised Mayakovskys unwillingness to engage with the stark realities of post-revolutionary Russia: the backwardness that would need to be overcome for there to be any question of raising Soviet societys cultural level to the heights envisioned by this petty-bourgeois idealist.
For Trotsky: Mayakovskys revolutionary individualism poured itself enthusiastically into the proletarian revolution, but did not blend with it. His subconscious feeling for the city, for nature, for the whole world, is not that of a worker, but of a bohemian.
Later, as the Stalinistbureaucracy grew powerful in the isolated workers state, Mayakovsky attacked the red tape and stupidity of the bureaucrats in poems like In Re: Conferences.
While still not a fan of the poetry, Lenin praised the political content of this work as absolutely right.
As Lenins health worsened, Mayakovsky rightly railed against those who sought to transform the Bolshevik leader from flesh-and-blood revolutionary into a harmless icon.
In a 1923 editorial for the Left Art Front (LEF) journal he helped found, Mayakovsky wrote:
We insist
Dont stereotype Lenin
Dont print his portrait on placards, stickybacks, plates, mugs and cigarette cases.
Dont bronze-over Lenin
Dont take from him the living gait and countenance.
After Lenins death, Mayakovskys increasingly critical line made him a target. His critique of the Stalinist clique in the satirical playThe Bathhouseprovoked a vicious campaign against him.
Vladimir Yermilov, a literary critic and Stalinist attack dog, implied thatThe Bathhouseexpressed sympathy for the ideas of Leon Trotskys Left Opposition.
This cultural epigone might have actually had a point. Mayakovsky was always an avowed internationalist, who saw the Russian Revolution as the starting gun for world communist revolution.
The association with Trotsky was intended as a Mark of Cain. It was followed by a smear campaign in the Soviet press, with Mayakovsky being drowned out at public readings by jeering audiences whipped into a frenzy by Stalinist calumny.
Just as Stalin murdered all the old Bolsheviks, in order to consolidate the privileges of the bureaucracy, so too in art he waged a brutal counter-revolution. This later included enforcing a new shallow (socialist) realism as the only accepted style in the Soviet Union.
Mayakovsky ultimately could not withstand the withering effect of Stalinist counter-revolution. In April 1930, at the age of 36, he took his own life in mysterious circumstances.
Mayakovskys revolutionary legacy was still feared by the bureaucracy. Their anxiety only intensified when his funeral became the third-largest event of public mourning in Soviet history, with 150,000 in attendance.
In a cynical about-face, in 1935, Stalin proclaimed Mayakovsky to be the best and most talented poet of our Soviet epoch!
The bureaucracy proceeded to strip Mayakovsky of his humanity, converting him just like Lenin into another harmless icon; a mere propagandist. His oppositional works were censored or altered, while statues and public squares unveiled in his honour.
This acted as nothing short of his second death, as fellow Futurist Boris Pasternak later wrote.
Today, the last remnants of the revolutionary Mayakovsky continue to be wiped out in defence of the status quo.
His political works are buried under academic gossip about his lovelife and personal struggles. Statues and streets dedicated to him are torn down and renamed. In Ukraine, for example, a Mayakovsky Street was recently renamed in honour of Boris Johnson.
Those of us who are not content with the status quo of the world today, andwho call ourselves communists, remember the real, complex, inspiring legacy of Mayakovsky: his courageous revolutionary struggle, and great artistic achievements.
In doing so, we heed the words of Trotsky. Art has a role to play in revolution, but cannot be achieved through art alone.
It is only through conscious organisation, education, and persistent struggle that this decrepit system can be overthrown, once and for all.
One can say of Mayakovsky that, from a young age, he recognised the need to get organised and fight for revolution. Communists today must follow this example.
See the article here:
130 years of Mayakovsky: Art, communism, and revolution - Socialist Appeal
- Florida Governor DeSantis signs new law mandating teaching the evils of communism to children as young as five - WSWS - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- Trump, Biden, communism and more: Letters to the Editor, April 28, 2024 - Florida Today - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- Communists to run in Karl Marx hometown's election - In Defense of Communism - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- Slow Down. How Degrowth Communism Can Save the Earth book review - Counterfire - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- Ron DeSantis wants to teach young people about communism. He should use rock n roll - Washington Examiner - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- A Survivor of the Cultural Revolution Reviews New Book, 'The Devil and Communist China' - The Stream - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- European Communist Action: Long live the 1st of May Long live socialism! - In Defense of Communism - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- Florida children to learn that communism is evil, slavery a skills training program - The South Florida Times - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- 'Unbridled Agenda of Communism or Socialism, Not in the Constitution Today': SC - ETV Bharat - May 1st, 2024 [May 1st, 2024]
- Pol Pot's Atrocities Still Matter, 45 Years After Khmer Rouge's Fall - Reason - January 12th, 2024 [January 12th, 2024]
- Taiwan election: victory in the face of Chinese communism as country gears up for 'fair election' - GB News - January 12th, 2024 [January 12th, 2024]
- Lenin lives! Join the communists to celebrate his life and ideas! - Socialist Appeal - January 12th, 2024 [January 12th, 2024]
- Goodbye Socialist Appeal The Communist is coming! - Socialist Appeal - January 12th, 2024 [January 12th, 2024]
- Xi Jinpings once-unquestioned authority is showing cracks - The Hill - January 12th, 2024 [January 12th, 2024]
- UK told to 'wake up' to Poland crisis with Donald Tusk 'turning back clock to communism' - Express - January 12th, 2024 [January 12th, 2024]
- The Reality of CommunismWhat Is Social Democracy and Why Is It a Capitalist Dictatorship? - revcom.us - January 12th, 2024 [January 12th, 2024]
- Why Did the Berlin Wall Fall? - The Imaginative Conservative - November 13th, 2023 [November 13th, 2023]
- 1947 and now - The Interpreter - November 13th, 2023 [November 13th, 2023]
- Albania's deal with Italy on migrants has been welcomed by many ... - Las Vegas Sun - November 13th, 2023 [November 13th, 2023]
- Grothman's Bipartisan Hmong New Year Resolution | U.S. ... - Glenn Grothman - November 13th, 2023 [November 13th, 2023]
- Another View: DeSantis was strong, Haley was sharp, Ramaswamy ... - Press Herald - November 13th, 2023 [November 13th, 2023]
- Communism in Britain: The unbroken thread - Socialist Appeal - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- November 7 as Victims of Communism Day - 2023 - Reason - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- The Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Fate of the West - Breakpoint - BreakPoint.org - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Cruzs new book Unwoke shows readers how to defeat cultural ... - 1330 WFIN - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- The aftermath of the Velvet Revolution was justice delivered? - Radio Prague International - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Remember, Remember, the 9th of November - The Imaginative Conservative - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Country Road Chronicles: Communist camp in Westerly in the '30s - The Westerly Sun - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- The Russian Revolution: The greatest event in history - Socialist Appeal - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- What Happened to the ACLU by Helen Andrews | Articles - First Things - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Open Forum: Thinking of Donald Trump after Tuesday's election - The Winchester Star - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Was the USSR Socialist?: an Interview with Alexander Nogovishchev - Lefteast - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Remembrance Day: the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month - Fairfaxtimes.com - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- New York Man Sentenced on Felony Assault Charge for Actions ... - Department of Justice - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- U.S. Rep. Grothman: Bipartisan Hmong New Year resolution - WisPolitics.com - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- 'Nazigate' Has Been Quickly Forgotten, But Scholars Warn Its ... - The Maple - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Defining the US-China cold war - - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Green Township voters remove 5 officials who support Gotion ... - FOX 17 West Michigan News - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Louisiana's 'In God We Trust' law tests limits of religion in public ... - American Press - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Czechast with Irena Kalhousov, Director of the Herzl Center for ... - Radio Prague International - November 11th, 2023 [November 11th, 2023]
- Letter to the editor: We mustn't forget communism's many victims - Bozeman Daily Chronicle - October 19th, 2023 [October 19th, 2023]
- Writing triumphed over 'hell of communism', says Albania's Kadare - Yahoo News - October 19th, 2023 [October 19th, 2023]
- Opinion Showing anti-communism the red card - Morning Star Online - October 19th, 2023 [October 19th, 2023]
- Letter to the Editor: The Minnesota Daily is against communists ... - Minnesota Daily - October 19th, 2023 [October 19th, 2023]
- Long before the Kentucky legislature waged war on 'woke,' it ... - The Hastings Tribune - October 19th, 2023 [October 19th, 2023]
- All the traditions lost after the Communists entered Beijing The China Project - The China Project - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Communism, the youth, and the fight for revolution - Socialist Appeal - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Salazar, 27 GOP cosponsors offer bill to educate students about ... - Ripon Advance - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Head of Zeus seizes history of communism by broadcaster and ... - The Bookseller - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Death threats, communism claims swirl around EV battery project - Automotive News - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- The New Useful Idiots - Shield of the Republic - The Bulwark - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Rift in Samastha over stand towards CPM - Times of India - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- South Korean president's anti-communist taunts are opening up ... - The Conversation - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Argentine priests celebrate reparation Mass after presidential ... - America: The Jesuit Review - September 9th, 2023 [September 9th, 2023]
- Oppenheimer: communism, McCarthyism, and the bomb | United ... - In Defence of Marxism - August 12th, 2023 [August 12th, 2023]
- When teachers have more say than parents, communism has arrived - Hernando Sun - August 12th, 2023 [August 12th, 2023]
- Captive Nations Week Marked for First Time in Ukraine - Jamestown - The Jamestown Foundation - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- What Was the Marshall Plan? - The Collector - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- Politics of the Rift: On Thorie Communiste - Notes - E-Flux - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- The return of EU enlargement | The Strategist - The Strategist - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- Putin's holy war on Ukraine - UnHerd - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- The zing zazz factor in a slogan - RNZ - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- Family who carried Sacred Heart statue were carried by Sacred ... - Catholic Diocese of Lincoln - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- Risk and Revolution | Wen Stephenson - The Baffler - July 20th, 2023 [July 20th, 2023]
- Victims of Communism, Victims of Modernism - Heritage.org - June 7th, 2023 [June 7th, 2023]
- Communism: FIU event discusses Soviet influence in Cuba and the ... - PantherNOW - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Nuclear communism: Lukashenka offers 'nukes for everyone' - TVP World - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Georgi Gospodinov and Angela Rodel win International Booker ... - NPR - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- The China Dragon Roars Back Whether the US Likes It or Not - KCRW - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- EU, US might not be best digital ID models, but they can help African ... - Biometric Update - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Opinion: Young Canadians should learn about the Polish ... - The Hub - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Gig Line: Memorial Day - The Coastland Times | The Coastland Times - The Coastland Times - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- What's on? 10 top TV and streaming tips for Wednesday - RTE.ie - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Putin Wants You to Think He's an Anti-Woke Crusader - Foreign Policy - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Turkey elections: Erdogan's win highlights political fault lines - Middle East Eye - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- Is History Written by the Winners? - History Today - May 29th, 2023 [May 29th, 2023]
- The AI Capitalists Don't Realize They're About To Kill Capitalism - Worldcrunch - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Alaska House follows Senate to pass bill authorizing sale of carbon ... - Alaska Beacon - May 20th, 2023 [May 20th, 2023]
- Victims of Communism Day - 2023 - Reason - May 4th, 2023 [May 4th, 2023]
- A Case Of Communism, Incompetence And Politics? - Walterboro Live - May 4th, 2023 [May 4th, 2023]