x

Maker: Aleksei Pavlovich Solodovnikov

The Divorce (Drama in Soviet Court)

Date Made: 1955
Country: Soviet Union; Ukraine

Method: oil on canvas
Measurements: 132 cm x 168 cm x 6.5 cm; 51 15/16 in x 66 1/8 in x 2 9/16 in

Description

In his painting portraying a divorce scene, Solodovnikov fundamentally criticizes the effects of so-called “progress” and “modernization,” ideological catch words in Soviet society. The male protagonist with his fine clothes and modern wristwatch is an anti-hero who symbolizes the hypocrisy and superficiality of modern cosmopolitanism. With his distancing expression, he abandons his wife and daughter. The local peasants who attend the hearing look at him scornfully, while expressing empathy for the wife and daughter. Solodovnikov radically broke with the “theory of conflictlessness,” which defined the visual arts under Stalin. According to this directive, artists were expected to represent the ideal socialist society and to refrain from showing real-world conflicts and tensions. Instead, two years after Stalin’s death, Solodovnikov addressed a serious social conflict in this painting: the legal settlement of a divorce in the countryside.

Accession Number: 2007.225.006

Item Name: Painting
Collection/Series: Paintings
On View: Yes

Exhibition History

• Questionable History
• Questionable History

Array
(
    [offset] => 1
    [size] => 1
    [records] => Array
        (
            [0] => Array
                (
                    [Description] => In his painting portraying a divorce scene, Solodovnikov fundamentally criticizes the effects of so-called “progress” and “modernization,” ideological catch words in Soviet society. The male protagonist with his fine clothes and modern wristwatch is an anti-hero who symbolizes the hypocrisy and superficiality of modern cosmopolitanism. With his distancing expression, he abandons his wife and daughter. The local peasants who attend the hearing look at him scornfully, while expressing empathy for the wife and daughter. Solodovnikov radically broke with the “theory of conflictlessness,” which defined the visual arts under Stalin. According to this directive, artists were expected to represent the ideal socialist society and to refrain from showing real-world conflicts and tensions. Instead, two years after Stalin’s death, Solodovnikov addressed a serious social conflict in this painting: the legal settlement of a divorce in the countryside.
                    [Measurements] => 132 cm x 168 cm x 6.5 cm; 51 15/16 in x 66 1/8 in x 2 9/16 in
                    [IdNumber] => 2007.225.006
                    [Materials] => oil paint; canvas
                    [IdSort2] => 0000225
                    [IdSort1] => 0002007
                    [Title] => The Divorce (Drama in Soviet Court)
                    [IdSort4] => 0000000
                    [IdSort3] => 0000006
                    [IdSort6] => 0000000
                    [IdSort5] => 0000000
                    [Maker] => Aleksei Pavlovich Solodovnikov
                    [OPTION1] => Paintings
                    [DateMade] => 1955
                    [OPTION8] => oil on canvas
                    [UpdateDate] => 2026-01-26 12:05:12.0
                    [UpdatedBy] => CRANK
                    [Ref] => 17944
                    [FLAG5] => Y
                    [Note] => £11,115. Other possible location: 200.
                    [ItemName] => painting
                    [LinkedMedia] => Array
                        (
                            [0] => Array
                                (
                                    [MediaRef] => http://23.114.65.41:8082/api/xg/tenants/api/resources/media/257382
                                    [Media_Type] => IMAGE
                                    [Media] => ump.di?e=02D898EAF18CBE85FD179822CAA96EBF3A46B8E8932FDDE7DABDFF90E55966E4&s=&se=&f=%5Cd5354%5Cu23553541%5C2007_225_006_o2.jpg
                                    [Step] => 1
                                    [Media_Locator] => https://piction.wendemuseum.org/piction/
                                )

                        )

                    [ItemsExhibitions] => Array
                        (
                            [0] => Array
                                (
                                    [FullName] => Questionable History
                                    [CatalogueRef] => http://23.114.65.41:8082/api/xg/tenants/api/resources/catalogue/17944
                                    [ExhibitionRef] => http://23.114.65.41:8082/api/xg/tenants/api/resources/exhibitions/20
                                )

                            [1] => Array
                                (
                                    [FullName] => Questionable History
                                    [CatalogueRef] => http://23.114.65.41:8082/api/xg/tenants/api/resources/catalogue/17944
                                    [ExhibitionRef] => http://23.114.65.41:8082/api/xg/tenants/api/resources/exhibitions/40
                                )

                        )

                    [Culture] => Soviet Union; Ukraine
                )

        )

    [fetchCount] => 1
    [@controls] => Array
        (
            [records:last] => Array
                (
                    [href] => http://23.114.65.41:8082/api/xg/tenants/api/resources/catalogue/records/QE06NyLjaE8i5H1BIJVDNsgmt1B0L44e?offset=1&limit=1&pagesize=15
                    [title] => Go to last row
                )

            [records:first] => Array
                (
                    [href] => http://23.114.65.41:8082/api/xg/tenants/api/resources/catalogue/records/QE06NyLjaE8i5H1BIJVDNsgmt1B0L44e?offset=1&limit=1&pagesize=15
                    [title] => Go to first row
                )

            [records:clear] => Array
                (
                    [method] => DELETE
                    [href] => http://23.114.65.41:8082/api/xg/tenants/api/resources/catalogue/records/QE06NyLjaE8i5H1BIJVDNsgmt1B0L44e
                    [title] => Clear the result set.
                )

            [self] => Array
                (
                    [href] => http://23.114.65.41:8082/api/xg/tenants/api/resources/catalogue/records/QE06NyLjaE8i5H1BIJVDNsgmt1B0L44e?offset=1&limit=15&pagesize=15
                )

            [records:firstpage] => Array
                (
                    [href] => http://23.114.65.41:8082/api/xg/tenants/api/resources/catalogue/records/QE06NyLjaE8i5H1BIJVDNsgmt1B0L44e?offset=1&pagesize=15
                    [title] => Retrieve a set of records.
                )

        )

    [limit] => 15
    [id] => QE06NyLjaE8i5H1BIJVDNsgmt1B0L44e
    [@namespaces] => Array
        (
            [records] => Array
                (
                    [name] => http://ottawa.axiell.com/api/records.html#
                )

            [resources] => Array
                (
                    [name] => http://ottawa.axiell.com/api/resources.html#
                )

        )

    [title] => catalogue result set
    [@meta] => Array
        (
            [@title] => catalogue records (1-1)
            [@description] => Records fetched from a search result.
        )

)