P. S. Sorokin Paintings

Pitirim Alexandrovich Sorokin was not primarily known as an artist, but rather as a prominent Russian-American sociologist. Born on January 21, 1889, in the small village of Turya, Russia, Sorokin's early life was marked by hardship and upheaval, coinciding with the turbulent period of Russian history that included the end of the Tsarist regime and the Bolshevik Revolution.

Sorokin's academic career started in Russia, but after his opposition to the Bolshevik government, he was arrested and later exiled. He emigrated to the United States in 1923, where he accepted a position at the University of Minnesota. Sorokin's contributions to sociology were significant; he founded the Department of Sociology at Harvard University and served as its first chairman from 1930 to 1959.

Throughout his career, Sorokin focused on large-scale questions of social change, social stratification, and the analysis of complex societies. His work was characterized by a broad interdisciplinary approach, and he was a prolific writer, authoring more than 30 books. Some of his notable works include 'Social and Cultural Dynamics,' a four-volume analysis of fluctuations in art, science, philosophy, and other cultural dimensions, and 'Contemporary Sociological Theories,' which examined major theories of the time.

Sorokin's interest in the arts was primarily intellectual and sociological rather than practical. He was interested in the ways that artistic expression reflected and influenced social conditions and cultural trends. His work on the sociology of art explored how art and creativity could be understood as a product of social patterns and structures.

He remained an influential figure in sociology until his death on February 10, 1968. While not an artist himself, P. S. Sorokin's legacy lies in his comprehensive and interdisciplinary analysis of social phenomena, including the role and development of art in society.