Admission to the Komsomol (2nd Version) 1949

Sergiy Grigoriev painted *Admission to the Komsomol* with oil on canvas, though the precise date remains unknown. The scene is dominated by the large rectangle of a red-draped table, around which the composition arranges figures in varying states of assessment and anticipation. The formal structure invites us to consider the underlying social dynamics. The red table acts as a symbolic stage for the drama of ideological conformity. Consider the semiotics of color here: red, the color of revolution, literally sets the stage, underscoring the weight of the political moment. The light streaming in from the window behind the standing girl casts a glow, highlighting her as the focal point of both the painting and the group's scrutiny. The composition of gazes directs our focus, emphasizing the ritualistic and communal nature of this act of joining the Komsomol, the Communist youth organization. Grigoriev uses the visual language of realism not just to depict a scene but to subtly probe the tensions between individual identity and collective expectation. This painting therefore functions as a complex representation of Soviet social values.