Russian Dissident Art 4 Ukraine

#6) ”Safronov” or “Paskin” – V. Zhdan

Vladislav Zhdan – “Safronov or Pashkin?”

Pen & Ink original drawing, based on the Russian novel “Kotlovan” by Andrei Platonov. Dated 1978 20″x 34″

Vladislav Zhdan was inspired to draw the characters from the novel “Kotlovan” because the book was a revelation for him when he read it in the 1970s. Born in the Stalinist era, a book that dared to be critical of collectivization had a deep appeal for him.  Stalin’s order of collectivization of agriculture deeply impacted Ukraine.  It is known as the Holodomor (death by hunger, in Ukrainian). Farmers resisted, were declared enemies of the state; thousands were thrown out of their homes and deported.  In 1932, the Communist Party set impossibly high quotas for grain that Ukrainian villages were required to contribute to the Soviet state.  It has been claimed that 7 million Ukrainians were killed as the USSR sold crops from the Ukraine abroad.

Although Zhdan hoped the drawings would one day be used in a publication of “Kotlovan,” he drew these characters simply out of the powerful deep feelings and admiration he felt for the novel.  I searched for him for years and only recently found out that he is currently a sought after world class ship modeler. He lives and works in Moscow and is a master of his craft.  However, he now says he may go back to his first love: graphic design for illustrating books.

One day I hope to meet him again. For obvious reasons, there is no mention of Ukraine in our communications.  I can’t wait to see the smile on his face when I tell him that I sold his beautiful works of art to raise money for ASSIST-UKRAINE (assist-ukraine.org). I feel sure he’d be overjoyed.

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