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The artwork «Lenin» is created as a part of complex object «Two Flags (Perestroika)» in 1989, year after it was published at program number of magazine «Decorative Art» specially dedicated to Sots-art («Decorative Art», №12, 1990). It was the period of «Russian Sensation» start all over the world. At the first time in Russia art and society synchronized so the art transferred from modern to actual. Wide interested audience appeared, first Russian galleries, publications, researches.
It is possible to say that the moment of creation «Lenin» artwork in 1989 was preparing during about 15 years since Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid while Pioneer camp decoration has tried on soviet ideology visual stamps on themselves and people close to them, as a result appeared series of artworks at the style of special-ordered «formalization». The experience at the sphere of ideology language became common among artists of new generation born at 40s. Up to the beginning of 70s Alexander Kosolapov worked with common workshop together with Leonid Sokov and Boris Orlov. It was area of experiments and searching of new art language more close to living conditions, leaving personal mythology in favour of more open forms of compatibility with outward. The result of this are famous objects of Kosolapov created at 1972: «Latch» and «Mincing Machine» which can be called the variant of Russian Pop-Art. At this years Kosolapov also used the texts of Soviet propaganda to materialize ideological cliche at artworks of three dimensions like the art object made of plywood «Learn, son!» (1974).
At 1975 Kosolapov emigrated to USA and soon «New York school» of sots-art asserted itself. Komar, Melamid, Kosolapov and Sokov were belong to it and some of periods Rimma Gerlovina and Valery Gerlovin and art group «Passions for Kazimir» (Kosolapov was a part of it) also. Move to America influenced on artist art a lot. He told that American culture in opposite to other cultures of that time is the «culture of a picture». Kosolapov artworks of American period are marked off with brand new features as refusal from easel painting, invasion to environment with the help of using at artwork the elements of billboard aesthetics, use of new media, the destruction of traditional hierarchy of art thematic - the equally relevant are Mickey Mouse and Malevich. Kosolapov use his idea of to combine languages of socialistic and capitalistic propaganda on the level of design. In 1989 the artist creates the brilliant series of artworks including «Lenin». While combining Soviet and American mass culture codes the perfect balance come out: from the Soviet propaganda side there is change of profile at the military medal, from American the change of cinematic vignette.
The change of Lenin portrait to Mickey Mouse figure is at the first sight change of huge horrible idol to little cute animal. However today is clear that the scale of phenomenon - Lenin and Mickey Mouse - are rather equal. Who knows maybe in the future our offsprings will be curious why some Lena apply for Mickey Mouse in 1989. V
