Photography as index of the Russian revolution: (1921-1929)

Abstract

The present work analyzes the notion of the photography during the first years of revolutionary Russia (1921-1929). Traditional studies on images that were produced during this period inscribe them in a perspective that understands photography as an iconic symbol. This article discusses the scope of this conception. Taking the analysis of Peirce’s semiotics and crossing it with elements of the social context, it proposes to rethink the link between photographers, the new soviet life and photography. In this line, it is suggested that the notion of index would make possible to understand more clearly the role of the photographic during the first revolutionary years.