Review of Documents from the Russian State Library and the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art, Regarding the Defense of Graduate Art Projects (Painting, Sculpture, Graphic Series, etc.), Also Known as “Creative Theses”, by Artists Pursuing the Degree of Candidate of Art History in the US SR

According to Soviet Ministry of Higher Education Order No. 524 dated September 30, 1946, “On Measures to Enhance the Training of Graduate Students in Art Institutes”, the academic degree of Candidate of Art History could be conferred upon “an art practitioner, aspiring artist, for an artwork in their specialty, accompanied by the presentation and exhibition of the graduation work, along with pertinent drawings, studies and sketches”. Documents from the collections of the Russian State Library (RSL) and the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (RSALA) contain records of the defenses of graduate art projects (easel painting, monumental painting, sculpture, graphic series, theatrical decorative design), also known as “creative theses”, held from 1946 to 1956. Twenty-two defenses took place at the Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture, while twenty-one were held at the Surikov Moscow State Art Institute. The research conducted on library and archival resources enables the introduction of previously unstudied documents into scholarly discourse regarding the history of Soviet fine arts, the procedures for awarding academic degrees in the USSR, and creative postgraduate studies in the country's leading art institutes. These dissertations explore important themes of Soviet history and social life, many of which hold undeniable cultural and historical significance, with some being included in the Museum Fund of the Russian Federation.

1. Abols, Oyars Gustavovich. (1956). Pered 1905 godom: zhivopis' [= Before 1905: A Painting ]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 57-17/19. [In Rus.]

2. Aleksich, Mikhail Nikolaevich. (n.d.). Shtrikh v klassicheskom oforte [= Use of Stroke in Classical Etching]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History]. (Mikroforma). OD Dk 49/1149. [In Rus.]

3. Budnikov, Aleksandr Gavrilovich. [1953]. Na zashchitu Stalingrada [= Defending Stalingrad: A Tribute ]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov]. OD Dk 54-17/25. [In Rus.]

4. Chebotarev, Viktor Sergeevich. [1955]. Prokatchik: skul'ptura [= Rolling Mill Operator: Sculpture ]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 57-17/3. [In Rus.]

5. Chepets, Grigoriy Lazarevich. [1955]. V. I. Lenin v Smol'nom [= V. I. Lenin in Smolny]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 57-17/24. [In Rus.]

6. Dishler, V. R. (1954). «Arest Raynisa» i etyudy k ney, a takzhe raboty, vypolnennye za vremya prebyvaniya v aspiranture: zhivopis' [= “The Arrest of Rainis” and Sketches, Along with Postgraduate Works: A Painting ]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 55-17/96. [In Rus.]

7. Fomkin, Aleksandr Il'ich. (1955). Chernyshevskiy v ssylke: otkaz podpisat' proshenie o pomilovanii: zhivopis' [= Chernyshevsky in Exile: Refusal to Sign a Pardon Petition: A Painting ]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov]. OD Dk 55-17/87. [In Rus.]

8. Gevorkyan, Khristofor Bogdasarovich. (1955). N. A. Dobrolyubov: skul'ptura [= N. A. Dobrolyubov: Sculpture ]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov]. OD Dk 55-17/83. [In Rus.]

9. Glushkov, Sergey Sergeevich. (n.d.). Gosti v kolkhoze: zhivopis' [= Visitors of the Kolkhoz: A Painting ]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History]. OD Dk 50-17/59. [In Rus.]

10. Ivanovskiy, Petr Ivanovich. (1948). Rabota nad kartinoy «F. E. Dzerzhinskiy i deti» [= Working on the Painting “F. E. Dzerzhinsky and Children”]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. (Mikroforma). OD Dk 48/2422. [In Rus.]

11. Khadzhiev, Aykhan A. (1955). Nauka v pomoshch' khlopkorobam: zhivopis' [= Science in Aid of Cotton Growers: A Painting ]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov]. OD Dk 56-17/4. [In Rus.]

12. Klindukhov, Nikolay Nikolaevich. (1955). M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin: skul'ptura [= M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin: Sculpture ]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov]. OD Dk 55-17/70. [In Rus.]

13. Korolev, Aleksandr Leonidovich. (1955). Predmayskiy den': zhivopis' [= On May Eve: A Painting ]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 57-17/11. [In Rus.]

14. Korolev, Gennadiy Georgievich. (n.d.). Pozdravlenie s nagradoy: zhivopis' [= Congratulations on the Award: A Painting ]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History]. OD Dk 50-17/58. [In Rus.]

15. Kuklya, Stanislav Yanovich. (1956). «Molodye veterinary» i «Tabun loshadey»: al'bom fotografiy s rabot, ispolnennykh v period aspirantury [= “Young Veterinary Workers” and “Herd of Horses”: Photo Album of Postgraduate Works ]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 57-17/25. [In Rus.]

16. Mil'berger, M. I. (1955). A. I. Gertsen: skul'ptura: al'bom k tvorcheskoy dissertatsii [= Herzen: Sculpture. Album Accompanying the Creative Thesis ]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov]. OD Dk 55-17/50. [In Rus.]

17. Ovchinnikov, Nikolay Vasil'evich. (1954). «V sel'mage» i etyudy k ney, a takzhe raboty, vypolnennye vo vremya prebyvaniya v aspiranture (Zhivopis') [= “In a Village Shop” and Sketches, Along with Postgraduate Works (A Painting)]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 55-17/94. [In Rus.]

18. Pimenov, Valeriy Vasil'evich. (1955). Leninskoe slovo: zhivopis' [= The Word of Lenin: A Painting ]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 57-17/10. [In Rus.]

19. Plakhova, M. L. (n.d.). Stsenicheskoe oformlenie opery Shaporina «Dekabristy» i «Za vlast' Sovetov» v MKhAT SSSR im. Gor'kogo: fotomaterial [= Stage Design for Shaporin's Operas “Decemberists” and “For the Power of the Soviets” at the Gorky Moscow Art Theater: Photographic Documentation]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History]. OD Dk 54-17/106. [In Rus.]

20. Podlyasskaya, Lidiya Petrovna. (1952). Seriya illyustratsiy k romanu V. Azhaeva «Daleko ot Moskvy» [= Illustration Series for V. Azhayev's Novel “Far from Moscow”]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 54-17/108. [In Rus.]

21. Ponomarev, Nikolay Afanas'evich. (n.d.). Shakhtery Donbassa: seriya stankovykh risunkov (grafika) [= Miners of Donbass: A Series of Easel Drawings (Graphics)]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History]. OD Dk 50-17/60. [In Rus.]

22. Prisyazhnyuk, Leonid Vasil'evich. (1955). V. I. Kachalov: skul'ptura, al'bom [= V. I. Kachalov: Sculpture, Album]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov]. OD Dk 55-17/36. [In Rus.]

23. Protopopov, A. V. (1953). I. V. Stalin: skul'ptura [= I. V. Stalin: Sculpture]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 54-17/95. [In Rus.]

24. Pushnin, Aleksandr Tikhonovich. [1954]. Arest vremennogo pravitel'stva: zhivopis' [= Arrest of the Provisional Government: A Painting]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, [Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]]. OD Dk 55-17/93. [In Rus.]

25. Reyner, Georgiy Petrovich. (n.d.). Moryaki «Avrory» v 1917 godu: grafika [= Aurora Sailors in 1917: Graphics]: dissertatsiya ... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History]. OD Dk 50-17/61. [In Rus.]

26. Savenko, Ivan Grigor'evich. (1954). Rodnye polya [= Homeland Fields]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 58-17/10. [In Rus.]

27. Shaposhnikov, Sergey Dmitrievich. (1954). Monument «Volga», ustanovlenniy na Rybinskom more: skul'ptura [= The Volga Monument on the Rybinsk Reservoir: Sculpture]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov]. OD Dk 54-17/62. [In Rus.]

28. Shipovskiy, Lev Nikolaevich. (1954). V. I. Lenin sredi delegatov III s''ezda komsomola: al'bom [= Lenin Among Delegates of the III Komsomol Congress: Album]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov]. OD Dk 55-17/7. [In Rus.]

29. Sholokhov, Boris Anatol'evich. (1954). Shkol'niy khorovoy kruzhok: zhivopis' [= School Choir Group: A Painting]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Moscow State Art Institute named after V. I. Surikov]. OD Dk 54-17/61. [In Rus.]

30. Skulme, Dzhemma Ottovna. (1955). «Nash prazdnik»: zhivopis' [= Our Celebration: A Painting]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 57-17/18. [In Rus.]

31. Sokolov, Aleksandr Ivanovich. (1955). Khleb poshel: zhivopis' [= Ripe Wheat Fields: A Painting]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 57-17/4. [In Rus.]

32. Tabakova, Elena Il'inichna. [1952]. V chas otdykha: zhivopis' [= During Rest Hours: A Painting]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 54-17/107. [In Rus.]

33. Ugarov, Boris Sergeevich. (1955). V kolkhoz: zhivopis' [= On the Way to Kolhoz: A Painting]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 57-17/5. [In Rus.]

34. Val'tsev, Vitaliy Gennadievich. (1953). «I. V. Stalin sredi rybakov Eniseya» [= Stalin Among the Fishermen of the Yenisei River]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 56-17/74. [In Rus.]

35. Vares, Yan Yanovich. (1956). «Shakhtery slantsevogo basseyna» stankovaya skul'pturnaya gruppa: stankovaya skul'pturnaya gruppa [= Easel Sculpture Group “Miners of the Oil Shale Basin”]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 57-17/15. [In Rus.]

36. Vaska, Gundega Petrovna. [1955]. Seriya stankovykh illyustratsiy k romanu A. Upita «Severniy veter»: al'bom foto [= Easel Illustration Series for A. Upit's Novel “Northern Wind”: Photo Album]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 57-17/6. [In Rus.]

37. Veselova, Nina Leonidovna. [1954]. Idet ekzamen: zhivopis' [= Examination in Progress: A Painting]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00. [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, [Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]]. OD Dk 55-17/95. [In Rus.]

38. Vetrogonskiy, Vladimir Aleksandrovich. (1955). Zavodskie budni: seriya tsvetnykh linogravyur i litografiy [= A Day at the Factory: Series of Color Linocuts and Lithographs]: dissertatsiya... kandidata iskusstvovedeniya: 17.00.00 [Dissertation by the Candidate of Art History, Repin Institute of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture]. OD Dk 57-17/16. [In Rus.]