IN 1961 the London exhibition Lithographs by 27 Soviet Artists, curated by Eric Estorick, created something of a stir in the city, with the work on show debunking the prevailing stereotypes of Socialist Realism as the only art “permitted” in the USSR.

Ermolaev Girlfriends

That modest show returns in this free exhibition, which includes the work of 15 of those original artists, created mostly before the demise of the Soviet Union. It benefits from the size of the gallery — no bigger than a living room — in giving the work an unexpected homely context.

The majority of the images present intimate scenes from everyday life or Leningrad cityscapes and there’s an abundance of highly accomplished and entertaining individual styles.

Moika River

The detail in the winter scene University, Mendeleev Line (1973) by Valentin Yakovlevich Brodsky is one to savour, while there’s a dazzling abandon in Petrol Station Queen, 1964, by Vera Fedorovna Matyukh.

The humour of Stolen Horses (1964) by Yuri Alekseevich Vasnetsov has the rudimentary charm of a Russian folk tale, while the powerful compositional contrasts of Station Lights (1959) by Irina Nikolaevna Maslennikova are mesmerising.

Boris Nikolaevich Ermolaev’s ingenious Girlfriends (1962) makes its impact with its delicate line definitions and colour palette and his collection of eight small images from the Village series amusingly illustrate in the same delightful graphic style the “work, rest and play” cycle of rural life.

There is optimism in these works’ evocation of a shared humanity — a useful reminder in these times of Machiavellian demonisation of all things Russian.

Runs until December 22, opening times: estorickcollection.com.