Plastov, Arkady Alexandrovich(Аркадий Александрович Пластов 1893 - 1972) was a Social Realist painter of the Soviet Union.
Plastov was born near Simbirsk (the birthplace of V.I Lenin that now bears his birthnam
e- Ulyanovsk). His family were traditionally icon painters. Plastov studied in Moscow from 1914-1917 and then returned to his home village.During the Soviet era there was a strict adherence to social(ist) realism, and Plastov's work is a great example of this artistic doctrine. He documented the building of socialism- the development of the kolkhoz collective farming system and the era of the five year plan . His work also showed the effects of The Great Patriotic War on the people of rural Russia.
Spring (Весна) was painted in 1954. The painting is considered a turning point in the history of Soviet art, marking a departure from socialist realism, reflecting the political relaxation in the Soviet Union under Nikita Khrushchev, an era which came to be known as the Khrushchev Thaw.
