Creativity of Victor Arnautoff in the 1930-s: Identity Formation of the American Artist

The article is devoted to the early period of Victor Arnautoff s creativity and his fresco "City Life" (1934, Coit Tower, San Francisco). This mural became one of the iconic works of the Great Depression and brought the fame to the author, Russian emigrant in the USA. In this period American Art was engaged a search of the self-identification during the general interwar crisis of European modernism and the renaissance of Mexican culture based on national roots. The New Deal art politics was developing public art as an effective resource for creature the image of a new America and Americans. Arnautoff s career in California in the middle 1930s is formed in the field of monumental art. His murals reflected the social and economic order of the American society, which include needs in realistic art form and modern themes. The "transplantation" of American identity to the Russian artist occurred during his professional self-determination. A solidarity with the trends of the time allowed an involving of the young muralist in American life and it's ideals. The works of this period is a convincing example for how the personal expressive language developed in unison of the American art mainstream: interest in the experience of Mexican muralism, a bet on realistic art, and general understanding of the social role of art and artist. "City Life" is the famous Arnautoff s work, the key composition in the mural complex of the Memorial Coit Tower. The image of city center became the quintessence of the personal author's experience in which muralist trying on the American identity of the artist. The composition is organized around the crossroads of Montgomery and Washington streets, the informal artistic center of the 1920s and 1930s. Arnautoff gave self-portrait features to the one of the central characters. Artist depict himself in the epicenter of American city life, he appears as one of the participants of Western modern society. Arnautoff s hero balances between the internal being inside the composition and the apartness of the outside observer. This effect is well illustration of the "split consciousness" [10. P.61] of personality of the artist, which determined his border status throughout whole life. Integration of the Russian origin artist into the international scene started during his studies (in Mariupol, Harbin, San Francisco, Mexico City). The subsequent "overcoming of national isolation" [8. P.16], including through social activity, has allowed to strengthen ties with local art community. Looking at the world with "Russian eyes" ¹, Victor Arnautoff used "optics", proposed by American social realism. In the 1930s, the "American" component dominated in the artist's life and work. This effect was short-lived, and the new attribute of the personality wasn't appropriated for a long. In 1963 the artist returned to the USSR, and received Soviet citizenship. However, despite the new status, Arnautoff continued to perceive in Homeland as the American.

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