Rare 1957 Soviet Book: Fine Arts of Karelia (Bilingual Russian/Finnish) | Tsar to Soviet Books

Rare 1957 Soviet Art Monograph: "Fine Arts of Karelia" (Petrozavodsk)

For scholars of Finno-Ugric culture, collectors of Soviet regional art, and researchers of Nordic visual history, this 1957 original Soviet hardcover monograph is a standout historical reference. Published in Petrozavodsk (Petroskoi) by the State Publishing House of the Karelian ASSR (Государственное Издательство Карельской АССР / Karjalan ASNT:n Valtion Kustannusliike), Fine Arts of Karelia (Изобразительное искусство Карелии / Karjalan kuvaamataide) offers an exhaustive record of 20th-century northern Soviet painting, graphic illustration, and sculpture.

Bound in original light blue cloth boards featuring debossed Northern Karelian geometric embroidery borders, this volume includes parallel text in both Russian and Finnish.

Northern Soviet Realism, Kalevala Graphics & Regional Sculpture

This publication provides a structured historical narrative of Karelia's artistic landscape from traditional folk crafts to mid-20th-century fine art:

• Bilingual Texts: Features full historical and critical essays printed in both Russian and Finnish.

• Karelian Landscape Masters: Exhaustive focus on premier Finnish-Karelian painter S. H. Juntunen (Sulo Juntunen, 1915–1980), featuring works such as Over the Lake (Järvimaisema) and At the Forest Clearing (Hakkuupalstalla), alongside Russian masters who painted Northern themes (A. Kuindzhi, V. Polenov, A. Arkhipov).

• Book Design & Epic Illustration: Highlights A. Belyaev's graphic design for the Karelian epic Kalevala and A. Semyashkin's literary illustrations for Maxim Gorky and Valentin Katayev.

• Sculpture & Woodcraft: Comprehensive survey of Karelian wood relief carving, including Yu. Rautanen's famous relief Runosingers (Runonlaulajat) and works by V. Chizhikov and L. Lankinen.

Complete Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Изобразительное искусство Карелии / Karjalan kuvaamataide (Fine Arts of Karelia)

• Publisher: State Publishing House of the Karelian ASSR (Петрозаводск / Petroskoi)

• Publication Date: 1957 (Karelian ASSR, USSR)

• Language: Bilingual — Russian & Finnish

• Binding: Original publisher's light blue cloth boards, debossed folk motifs

• Classification: Soviet Regional Art / Finno-Ugric Heritage / Northern USSR Fine Art

Condition & Preservation Report

• Exterior Condition: The original cloth cover is structurally sound and flat. Cover debossing and lettering remain clean and sharp, with light, natural vintage storage discoloration along the outer margins.

• Binding Integrity: Exceptionally firm, square, and tight text block with sound hinges.

• Paper & Plate Quality: Interior text pages and art plates are clean and unmarked, exhibiting uniform light cream age-toning typical of mid-century Soviet paper stocks. Free from marginal notation, library stamps, or page creases.

MORE BOOKS HERE