A “War Zone” at the Bruce

By Arthur Stampleman

Wars — two very different wars — are the focus of two new exhibits at the Bruce Museum. “Hot Art in a Cold War: Intersections of Art and Science in the Soviet Era” is on view until May 20, and “Patriotic Persuasion: American Posters of the First World War” runs through June 3.

“Hot Art” is the more unusual exhibit, examining one of the dominant concerns of Soviet unofficial artists — and citizens everywhere — during the Cold War: the consequences of innovation in science, technology, mathematics, communications, and design.

Visitors will see artifacts from the Soviet nuclear and space programs created during the Cold War, and alongside there are 32 works of nonconformist art, largely abstract, made in opposition to state-sanctioned Socialist Realism. The exhibit touches upon the triumphs and tragedies unleashed as humankind gained the power to both leave the Earth and to destroy it, when science became a proxy battlefield for the struggle between the U.S.S.R. and the U.S.

The first section of the exhibit includes a detailed time line of the key scientific developments by the superpowers in space and nuclear power between 1945 and 1991, with emphasis on the U.S.S.R. The art explores the positives and negatives of these developments, primarily from the perspective of the Eastern Bloc. A Polish artist uses Superman, a popular symbol of power, to depict the rivalry between the two nations. Other works are simply critical of America.

Other sections examine:

*The Chernobyl meltdown, the worst nuclear accident in history, actually triggered by failures during a safety test. Artifacts include an actual tree section showing the environmental impact of the meltdown. Alongside is an etching showing a nuclear power plant from the control desk to the reactor’s core.

*Soviet space successes. Among the numerous artifacts here are a Sputnik created as a backup for the first successful satellite, and a cosmonaut uniform. Nearby are several semi-abstract works including one called “panic realism” depicting imaginary, cosmic spaces, and several highly geometric colored screen prints.

*Kinetic Art. Thanks to Cold War advances in science and technology, artists on both sides of the Atlantic benefited from the invention of new materials, such as Plexiglas, aerosol spray paint, and nylon fabrics. Kinetic art, which uses movement, light, and even sound in three-dimensional constructions, was particularly influenced by these innovations.

“Hot Art in a Cold War” is an expanded version of an exhibition organized at Rutgers University art museum around work donated by Norton and Nancy Dodge. Mr. Dodge first traveled to the U.S.S.R. in 1955, ostensibly to study tractors as part of his Ph.D. Dodge, a Sovietologist who did pioneering work on the role of Soviet women, smuggled the works of dissident artists in the former Soviet Union to the West.

The artifacts are on loan from various sources. Visitors will get a refresher on the Cold War’s nuclear and space races, and see the largely abstract work of nonconformist Soviet artists.

Dr. Daniel Ksepka, the museum’s Curator of Science and co-curator of the show, says, “The Bruce prides itself on being a museum of both art and science and in finding the interconnections between the two. ‘Hot Art’ is a perfect example of this unique focus.”

“Patriotic Persuasion” features 28 highly representative posters that were produced by the U.S. government before and during World War I to encourage citizens to support the effort and buy bonds. The exhibition is comprised of five sections: “Visualizing the Conflict”, “Enlist”, “… Mobilizing Women”, “Are You 100% American? ” and “Famous Faces”. Also worth seeing are two short silent films.

The Bruce Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 to 5. For more information, call 203-869-0376 or visit www.brucemuseum.org.