Narkompros

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Narkompros (Наркомпрос) is an abbreviation for the People's Commissariat for Education (Народный комиссариат просвещения), the Soviet agency charged with the administration of public education and most of other issues related to culture. In 1946, it was renamed the Ministry of Education. Its first head was Anatoly Lunacharsky.

Lunacharsky protected most of the avant-garde artists such as Vladimir Mayakovsky, Kazimir Malevich, Vladimir Tatlin and Vsevolod Meyerhold. Despite of his efforts, the official policy after Stalin put him in disgrace.

Narkompros had a number of sections, in addition to the main ones related to general education, e.g.,

  • Likbez, a section for liquidation of illiteracy,
  • "Profobr", a section for professional education,
  • Glavlit a section for literature and publishing (also in charge of censorhip in publishing),
  • "Glavrepertkom" (главрепертком), a commission for approval of performers' repertoires.
  • Department of the Mobilsation of Scientific Forces, to which the Russian Academy of Sciences reported to after 1918.

Some of these evolved into separate entities, others discontinued.

[edit] Izo-Narkompros

The Izo-Narkompros (Изо-наркомпрос), or the section of visual arts (отдел изобразительных искусств, created in May 1918). It consisted of two parts: collegium (deliberative organ) and the section proper (executive organ). The first collegium was headed by Vladimir Tatlin and included Kasimir Malevich, I. Mashkov (И. Машков), N. Udaltsova (Н. Удальцова), O.Rozanova (О. Розанова), Alexander Rodchenko, Wassily Kandinsky. It was subdivided into a number of subsections.

Lunacharsky directed some of the great experiments in public arts after Revolution such as the Agit-Trains and Agit-boats, that circulated over all Russia spreading Revolution and revolutionary arts.

He also gave support to Constructivism's theatrical experiments and the initiatives such as the ROSTA Windows, revolutionary posters designed and written by Mayakovsky, Rodchenko, and others.

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