Ideological and aesthetic principles of Soviet book illustration in the 1950s: thematic and stylistic analysis

this article explores the key ideological and aesthetic parameters of book illustration in the Soviet Union during the 1950s. Through a thematic and stylistic analysis of representative illustrative works, the study reveals the mechanisms of visualizing socialist values and regulating artistic language within the framework of centralized cultural policy. Special attention is given to the role of illustrators and publishing houses as agents in the formation of a normative visual code that reinforced political and educational directives in the public consciousness. The research is based on a comparative examination of different types of publications – from heroic-revolutionary prose to children's and popular science literature – allowing for an analysis of the spectrum of artistic approaches within the defined ideological paradigm. The article concludes that book illustration of this period functioned not merely as a decorative component of the text but as a tool of ideological transmission that contributed to shaping the visual identity of Soviet society.

illustration, literature, USSR, stylistics, design, books