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The American Russian Institute for Cultural Relations with the Soviet Union, previously known as the American Society for Cultural Relations with the Soviet Union was established in 1926 and was identified as a 'subversive' organisation by the US government in 1947. The main author of the brochure, Osip Beskin, was a Soviet art critic and a notorious opponent of “formalist” experiments in art. However, unlike his writings in Russian, this propaganda piece is idealistic in its tone rather than belligerent. Describing the art system in the USSR, he refers to the central idea of Soviet art – “Art belongs to the people. It must be understood and loved by them. It must be rooted in and grow with their feelings, thoughts, and desires. It must arouse and develop the artists in them” (Lenin). Thus, the dominant factor determining the quality of art is its integration with society.

VOKS Bulletin was an English-language cultural magazine published in Moscow by the USSR Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, an international organisation with parallel national branches around the world. This issue of the magazine includes an article by the magazine’s chief editor, Soviet art critic and prominent party member Vladimir Kemenev. The article titled “Aspects of Two Cultures” is primarily a typical example of art criticism in the USSR. Underlining the close ties between anti-humanism and anti-realism, Kemenev sets the art of Socialist Realism against decadent Western art.

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