Art of the Baltics: The Struggle for Freedom of Artistic Expression Under the Soviets, 1945-1991Art of the Baltics is the first major survey of the development of modernist art in Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia during the post-World War II Soviet period. The contributors discuss and reappraise the art of Baltic artists working in modernist styles. They argue that Estonian, Lithuanian, and Latvian art did not develop in similar ways. Estonia, for example, had closer contact with Scandinavian countries, while Lithuania clearly was part of Central Europe, and was more influenced by Poland. This book contains nearly three hundred illustrations--many in color--that serve to visually compare the art of the three Baltic countries. It also has three useful historical timelines that contextualize the art presented. In addition to historical overviews of each country, Art of the Baltics contains essays on the art of the region, written by both Baltic and American scholars. The articles extensively cover the Baltic art of the 1960s through the 1980s, which reflect the Zimmerli Art Museum's holdings of the Norton and Nancy Dodge Collection of Nonconformist Art from the Soviet Union. To round out the scope of this work, contributors also discuss the pre-Soviet art of the region, as well as the recent creative developments that resulted from these small countries gaining independence in 1991.
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Contents
ESTONIAN ART BEFORE WORLD WAR II Juta Kivimäe | 33 |
ESTONIAN NONCONFORMIST ART FROM THE SOVIET OCCUPATION IN 1944 TO PERESTROIKA | 43 |
Latvias AvantGarde under Fire Mark Allen Svede | 171 |
Latvian Art after Socialist Realism Mark Allen Svede | 185 |
Latvian Contemporary Art Exposes Itself | 275 |
Lithuanian Art in the PreSoviet Period | 289 |
Art under the Pressure of Soviet Ideology from World War II to Glasnost | 303 |
LITHUANIAN ART FROM 1988 TO THE PRESENT Kestutis Kuizinas | 354 |
Major Events in Estonian History and Culture | 365 |
Major Events in Latvian History and Culture | 381 |
Major Events in Lithuanian History and Culture | 407 |
Selected Bibliography | 447 |
About the Contributors | 453 |