A weapon designed by Simonov as an artistic image in Soviet and Chinese realistic art of the 1930s–2010s

The subject of this research article is the place and role of military attributes in the monuments of Soviet, Russian, and Chinese art from the second half of the 20th century to the early 21st century. Works featuring images of automatic rifles and the self-loading carbine by S.G. Simonov are analyzed. Samples of posters, paintings, sculptures, and cinematography are studied. Connections between the creative methods of Soviet and Chinese masters are traced. The importance of using authentic samples of weaponry in the context of realistic art is emphasized. Samples of weaponry often appear in monuments of various types of art, and their place and role in the artistic structure of the works are quite diverse. Samples of weaponry can perform a semantic function, for example, reflecting ancient archetypal symbols as is the case with cold weapons. This can serve as a reference to modernity and an attempt to convey the spirit of the era through recognizable signs, which is characteristic of historical paintings. Moreover, weapons are often used as a means of emotional expressiveness to create a certain mood, which is typical for any type and genre of visual art. In preparing the material for the article, a set of art-historical methods was employed, including formal-stylistic, iconographic, and comparative-historical methods. The main conclusions of the conducted research are as follows. Firstly, samples of weaponry often become objects of interpretation in works of artistic creativity. In this case, the appearance of a particular weapon sample should be, above all, expressive and recognizable. Secondly, regarding the weapon samples discussed in the article (the images of the rifle and the Simonov carbine AVS-36 and SKS), it is important to emphasize that a generalized image of weaponry has been formed, primarily associated with the interpretation of the warrior's image. Thirdly, in the artistic practice of domestic authors and masters from countries influenced by Soviet official art, the weapon samples created by S.G. Simonov became a kind of ideal type—a symbol of reliability, popular support, and power.