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People's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. The term is confusingly used to translate two Russian language titles: Народный артист СССР (''Narodny artist SSSR''), awarded in
performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...
and Народный художник СССР (''Narodny khudozhnik SSSR''), granted in some
visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...
. As those titles were granted by the government, honorees were afforded certain privileges and would often receive commissions from the Minister of Culture of the Soviet Union. Accordingly, artists and authors who expressed criticism of the Communist Party were seldom granted such recognition, if not outright censored. Each Soviet Republic, as well as the Autonomous Republics (ASSRs), had a similar award that would be held previously by virtually every receiver of the higher title of People's Artist of the USSR.


Performing arts

The title was bestowed for exceptional achievements in the performing arts in the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. Its recipients included many of the most-acclaimed composers, dancers, singers, film and theatre directors and actors of every Soviet republic. In all, there were 1006 recipients of the award. The title was introduced in 1936, replacing the earlier title of "People's Artist of the Republic". The first recipients of the title (6 September 1936) were Konstantin Stanislavski, Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, Ivan Moskvin, Antonina Nezhdanova, Boris Shchukin,
Kulyash Baiseitova Kulyash Jasynqyzy Baiseitova (born Gülbahram, 19121957) was a Soviet and Kazakh opera singer and actress. People's Artist of the USSR (1936). Biography Kulyash Baiseitova (maiden name Beisova) was born on 2 May (19 April) 1912 (according to ...
and some other actors. The last persons to be honored with the title were Sofia Pilyavskaya and Oleg Yankovsky (21 December 1991). Originally, the title was bestowed on theatre actors, ballet dancers, and opera singers only. Gradually, it came to be bestowed upon film actors (e.g., Lyubov Orlova), composers (e.g., Arno Babajanian, Dmitri Shostakovich), violinists (e.g.
David Oistrakh David Fyodorovich Oistrakh (; – 24 October 1974) was a Soviet Russian violinist, List of violists, violist, and Conducting, conductor. He was also Professor at the Moscow Conservatory, People's Artist of the USSR (1953), and Laureate of the ...
), pop singers (e.g., Leonid Utyosov), comedians (e.g., Arkady Raikin), and even circus performers such as Natalya Durova and Oleg Popov. Normally, a person was named the People's Artist of the USSR after 40 years of age. Exceptions were made for dancers, e.g., Nadezhda Pavlova, a ballet artist, received the title at the age of 28, and
Malika Kalontarova Malika Yashuvayevna Kolontarova (born 2 September 1950, born Mazol) is a Bukharian Jews, Jewish–American dancer. She is known as the "Queen of Tajik and Oriental dance, Oriental Dance." Biography Kolontarova was born with the name Mazo ...
, a famous Bukharian Jewish folk dancer from
Tajikistan Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...
, received the title at the age of 34. The youngest female persons to receive this title were Kazakh opera singers
Kulyash Baiseitova Kulyash Jasynqyzy Baiseitova (born Gülbahram, 19121957) was a Soviet and Kazakh opera singer and actress. People's Artist of the USSR (1936). Biography Kulyash Baiseitova (maiden name Beisova) was born on 2 May (19 April) 1912 (according to ...
(1936) and Halima Nosirova (1937) (at the age of 24). The youngest male person was the Azerbaijani baritone operatic and pop singer Muslim Magomayev (1973) (at the age of 31). Among the actors, the youngest recipient was Sergei Bondarchuk (age 32). The youngest actress to receive the title was Yuri Andropov's daughter-in-law, Lyudmila Chursina, at age 40. Sofia Rotaru, for example, was named Merited Artist of the Ukrainian SSR in 1973, People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR in 1976, People's Artist of the Moldavian SSR in 1983, an attained cumulation of People's Artist titles, and finally People's Artist of the Soviet Union in 1988, the first female pop-singer to be honored with this award and the only one with three People's Artists.


Visual arts

The title of People's Painter of the USSR (Народный художник СССР) was awarded for exceptional achievements in certain
visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...
:
painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...
,
sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
,
drawing Drawing is a Visual arts, visual art that uses an instrument to mark paper or another two-dimensional surface, or a digital representation of such. Traditionally, the instruments used to make a drawing include pencils, crayons, and ink pens, some ...
, and
photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...
. The lesser title of Meritorious Painter of the USSR (Заслуженный художник СССР) was also awarded for achievement in these fields.


Other honored professions

* People's Architect of the USSR: Народный архитектор СССР * People's Teacher of the USSR: Народный учитель СССР * People's Doctor of the USSR: Народный врач СССР


See also

* List of People's Artists of the USSR * People's Artist of the RSFSR * People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR * People's Artist of the Tajik SSR * People's Artist of the Lithuanian SSR * People's Artist of the Armenian SSR * People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR (visual artists and painters) * People's Artiste of the Azerbaijan SSR (stage and film performers) * Merited Artist * People's Artist


References


External links

*
Russian Academy of Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:People's Artist Of The Soviet Union Awards established in 1936 Awards disestablished in 1991 Honorary titles of the Soviet Union
USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...