Victor Nikolaevich Perelman, Fabzakovka

From the beginning of his career, Victor Perelman vigorously participated in art exhibitions. In 1918, he became a member of the newly-established Union of Professional Artists in Moscow, submitting his works for the Union’s first show, and soon becoming a founding member of the Association of Russian Revolutionary Artists (AKhRR) from 1922 to 1932. He regularly contributing to major AKhRR exhibits, which often related to various themes such as “Life and Being of Workers,” “Red Army,” “Revolution, Life and Labor,” “Life and Being of USSR nations,” “Life of USSR Children,” “Art for Masses,” “Building of Socialism in Soviet Art,” etc. In the 1930’s, Perelman’s works were shown at international exhibitions of Soviet art in Switzerland, Germany, Norway, and other countries as well. Fabzakovka (1932) belongs to the AKhRR period when Perelman believed that the images and the lives of workers should be documented and depicted in art. He also applied this to the portrait genre, which is usually intimate; however, he believed that portraits should take on an epic monumental stylistic approach. This powerful image is one of the rare samples of genuine pre-Socialist Realist painting, containing the strength and energy of art from the 1920’s.