Amanda Pretlow- Religion in Political Art

I took a class on the effect that Stalinist tyranny had on art in the Soviet Union. While the Soviet Union had officially outlawed religion, it is clear that there are some spiritual themes in some of the works that were created during the reign of Stalin. One of the books that we read for this class was Journey into the Whirlwind by Eugenia Ginzburg. She was an artist and teacher who lived during Stalin's purges and survived intense persecution during the purges. During her persecution she became heavily dependent upon art, especially poetry, to survive her ordeal. Because she was a teacher, she had an astonishing amount of poetry memorized. She relied on this poetry to gain supplied in prison, communicate with other members of the intelligensia, and retain her mental strength and health. When I thought about this book again, a question came to mind: Can art become a sort of religion? Poetry seemed to act as religion for Ginzburg. She relied on it for comfort and survival. It was intertwined in every aspect of her life. She recited poetry like prayers to a higher power. In her case, I truly believe that poetry was religion. In this instance, art became the most sacred thing of all: a lifeline.