The role of V. I. Mukhina in the formation of the Leningrad school of glassmaking

The article is dedicated to the influence that V. I. Mukhina had on the formation and development of Soviet glassmaking. The name of Vera Ignatievna Mukhina is associated with the revival of Russian artistic glass in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The author examines the circumstances surrounding the birth of the Leningrad school of glassmaking, analyzes in great details the ideas embodied in Mukhina’s products. Particular attention is paid to the first year of operation of the Leningrad experimental workshop, which played the role of a scientific and artistic laboratory of Soviet decorative glass. In 1948 the workshop was transformed into the Leningrad Art Glass Factory (LAGF). In conclusion, the features that characterize the Leningrad school of glassmaking are revealed. The importance of color and form, aesthetics and practicality, the reconsidering of the functions and methods of using decor allow us to talk about the formation of a new artistic school of glassmaking.