The Soviet era in iconic photographs by Markov-Grinberg

On November 7, 1907, the famous photojournalist Mark Markov-Grinberg was born in Rostov-on-Don. His works, which have become real symbols of their time, have firmly taken their place in the classics of Soviet photography. We present you the iconic works of the author of the period of the 30-40s.

(Total 20 photos)

1. Cook, 1930

After moving to Moscow in 1926, Markov-Grinberg started working in the magazine Smena. The photographer traveled a lot around the country, recording the successes of socialist construction, the first collective farms. He photographed both famous people and ordinary "builders of communism".

2. Portrait of miner Nikita Izotov, 1934.

Nikita Izotov, wearing a miner's helmet, covered in coal dust, is photographed as a monument. This is a monument to the drummer, Stakhanovite. The miner is presented as an ancient hero, challenging the gods, digging into the bowels of the earth.

3. Military sports game "Zarnitsa", 1930s.

In the first decades of the Soviet Union - a period of global change - photographers were not tasked with capturing the present. It was much more important to see in him the sprouts of the future, which, perhaps, was never destined to come true. Photographers translated the ordinary prose of life into the language of the heroic epic, transforming reality.

4. "Girl with an oar", at night in the TsPKiO im. Gorky, 1930.

The main task of reporters of this era was to be able to convince viewers of the greatness of Soviet reality with their pictures. Photographs of Markov-Grinberg just had such a happy gift of persuasion.

5. Meeting of the foreign delegation at the Belarusian railway station. Tverskaya Zastava Square. Moscow Triumphal Gates (Triumphal Arch), 1931.

6. Youth. Rest house of the plant of the Moscow plant "Electrokombinat" in Kalyazin, 1932.

In the background is the Trinity Monastery, which fell into the flood zone in connection with the creation of the Uglich reservoir.

7. At the first air parade in Tushino, 1933.

8. In a pioneer camp. Fishermen, 1930s.

9. "First in the village." Kabardino-Balkaria, 1934.

10. Sailing on Lake Seliger, 1930s.

It is worth noting that Markov-Grinberg himself, like many other photojournalists of that time, did not seem to notice this transformation of reality. The author himself did not find any discrepancies between the picture and the life that he shot. Moreover, he argued that precisely the absence of a transformation of reality, fidelity to "realism" was his personal goal.

11. Youth Agricultural Brigade. Grain harvesting. South of Russia, 1930s.

In Soviet photography, reality was preliminarily filtered and processed. Life in the picture had to be depicted according to a given setting. At the same time, she was always believed, for millions of people she served as proof of what the newspapers write about.

12. "Turn of History" (Alternate title: "From Now and Forever"). Removal of eagles and installation of a star on the Kremlin tower, 1935.

From the author's memoirs about working on the pictures: “I climbed the tower, on which a rather primitive structure was mounted - neither the current fences adopted in such cases, nor other safety measures were used. And then the star is not included in the frame - you have to get out on some kind of bracket. It was terrible. But I got used to the height a little and still took it off. True, I had to make a panorama of two frames with a 35 mm lens - the star still did not fit in one frame ... "

13. Happy Motherhood, 1935

The Soviet people were given a choice - to become heroes or give birth to new heroes.

14. Dynamo, 1935

15. Police traffic controller at night on Arbat Square, 1936.

16. Volgar, 1939

17. For the Motherland! 1943

The war period is especially distinguished in the work of the photographer. In September 1941, Markov-Grinberg was sent to the front as a private. He participated in battles as a signalman, but he always took pictures - he recorded the moments of battles and rare moments of rest.

18. Warrior's Oath, 1943

In July 1943, the political department of the army sent the photographer as a correspondent for the army newspaper Slovo fighter.

19. On the Kursk Bulge. Running in infantry with tanks, 1943.

20. West Prussia, Germany, May 1945. Human remains in the Stutthof concentration camp crematorium. Location: near Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland).