The USSR Is the World’s Bastion of Peace
Fragment of The Struggle for Peace composition. 1950
- on bronze. 117 х 116 х 55
- СО-ПФ-109
Received in 1954 via the Committee for Art, Council of Ministers of the USSR
In the first postwar years, when Manizer and his team of sculptors created this large, seven-part composition, the theme of the struggle for peace in a world divided into two social systems was especially relevant. Executed in a highly detailed and realistic manner in tune with the spirit of the times, this composition tells of various manifestations of peaceful life and the struggle against war. Each part is furnished with a descriptive title (for example, “American projectiles in the water” or “He writes the word ‘Peace’”) and carries an ideological message, functioning in essence as a sculptural poster on the anti-war theme. The fragment on display is the composition’s central part, where Stalin’s figure surrounded by ordinary folk symbolizes “the world’s bastion of peace”.