Parable About Life and Death 1979

Oleksandr Aksinin made this etching titled “Parable About Life and Death” in the Soviet Union, likely in the 1970s or early 80s. Aksinin’s parable is full of visual codes ripe for interpretation. We see an allegorical representation of the grim reaper, in an interior filled with strange, symbolic objects. It might be tempting to read this as a purely personal vision. However, consider that, in the Soviet context, there was an imperative to couch criticisms in allegory. Direct, explicit representations of the social world could bring an artist into conflict with state censors. How, then, might we understand this parable as a critique of the institutional forces in Aksinin's world? The setting is theatrical, and the mood is claustrophobic. Perhaps the artist is commenting on the tragic drama of Soviet life and death, in a world hemmed in by censorship and state control. To investigate further, we might explore the archives of Soviet artistic production. What were the acceptable forms of artistic expression? Who were the censors, and what were their guidelines?