Aleksandr Laktionov (painter)

Aleksandr Ivanovich Laktionov (Russian: Александр Иванович Лактионов; 29 May 1910 – 15 March 1972) was a Socialist realism painter in the post-war Soviet Union.

Laktionov's breakthrough work was A Letter From the Front (1947), which captured the prevailing mood among the people of the Soviet Union following the German-Soviet War.

This criticism was leveled mainly at Laktionov's trademark attention to detail that, they claimed, eschews artistic expression in favor of naturalism.

In spite of this, Laktionov found many supporters in the state cultural bureaucracy, who approved of his nationalistic and optimistic subject matter.

This ensured that Laktionov was able to lead a highly successful career and mix in the highest echelons of Soviet society.

The reproduction of the painting In Summer (1951–1954) by A. Laktionov on the postal card issued to commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of the painter. Russian Post , 2010 .
A Letter From the Front on a USSR postage stamp of 1973.