Forward to 1.6 Modern Art – post-WWI to 1950s
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This is art that was created following the 1917 October Revolution. The posters and statues appeared promptly, using a simple and lucid approach in multiple locations to bring the ideas of the Communist Party to the masses. Posters became the ideological mouthpiece for the party, informing and educating (or re-educating) the masses. Many posters were re-used as leaflets, postcards and reproduced in magazines. The posters themselves often bore the legend, Anybody who tears down or covers this poster is committing a counter-revolutionary act.
One of the form’s top exponents Dmitry Stakhiyevich Moor (aka Orlov) stated ‘I want the posters to resound as clearly as an orator’s speech.’ In fact the posters were both driving Soviet culture and responding to changes within it.
[Source: Wikimedia commons]
[1567-10]
| This poster print of Moor Dmitry states ‘Take a solemn oath when enlisting into the Red Army’. In 1917 this required agreement to six points, the first states I, son of the laboring people, citizen of the Soviet Republic, assume the title of warrior in the Worker-Peasant Army. The second declared, Before the labouring classes of Russia and the entire world, I accept the obligation to carry this title with honor, to study the art of war conscientiously, and to guard national and military property from spoil and plunder as if it were the apple of my eye. The sixth was a catch-all, If I should with malicious intent go back on this my solemn vow, then let my fate be universal contempt and let the righteous hand of Revolutionary law chastise me. [Source: soviethistory.msu.edu] |   Image source: soviethistory.msu.edu |
| TITLE: | YEAR: | FORM: | GENRE: |
| Take a solemn oath when enlisting into the Red Army | 1918 | Colour Lithograph | Poster |
| ARTIST: | DATES: | ORIGIN: | MOVEMENT: |
| Moor, Dmitry Stakhiyevich | 1883-1943, aged 60 | Russian Graphic artist | Russian propaganda |
| LOCATION: | SIZE (cms): | [1567-11] | |
| 108 x 70 |
  Image source: russianrevolution.marx-memorial-library.org.uk | Alexander Petrovich Apsit was born in Riga. He moved to Saint Petersburg in 1894 and attended art school becoming a student of Lew Dmitriew-Kawkaski. Aspit worked for various Russian magazines and on the outbreak of the First World War was employed by the government to design war posters. After the Bolshevik Revolution Apsit was commissioned by the State Publishing House to design revolutionary posters. [Source: spartacus-educational.com] |
| TITLE: | YEAR: | FORM: | GENRE: |
| Rise and defend Petrograd! | 1919 | Mono Lithograph | Poster |
| ARTIST: | DATES: | ORIGIN: | MOVEMENT: |
| Apsit, Alexander Petrovich | 1880-1944, aged 64 | Russian Graphic artist | Russian propaganda |
| LOCATION: | SIZE (cms): | [1567-12] | |
| Literary Publishing Department, RVSR Political Administration | 107 x 74 |
| This famous poster is the work of Dmitrii Moor (the pseudonym of Dmitrii Orlov, taken from the bandit hero of Friedrich Schiller’s play The Robbers). Moor was one of the main founders of Soviet political poster design. Here, the central figure with a pointing finger, encouraging men to enlist in the Red Army, echoes the equally famous British First World War recruitment posters featuring Lord Kitchener, but adds a distinct spin with its background of smoking factories and the use of an ordinary soldier rather than a commander. [Source: bl.uk] |   Image source: Meister Dreike |
| TITLE: | YEAR: | FORM: | GENRE: |
| Have you volunteered for the Red Army? | 1920 | Colour Lithograph | Poster |
| ARTIST: | DATES: | ORIGIN: | MOVEMENT: |
| Moor, Dmitry Stakhiyevich | 1883-1943, aged 60 | Russian Graphic artist | Russian propaganda |
| LOCATION: | SIZE (cms): | [1567-13] | |
| Literary Publishing Department, RVSR Political Administration | 106 x 71 |
  Image source:Bridgeman Images | This 1920 Soviet poster by Alexander Apsit stated The workers and the peasants are wiping out the lords and barons, while the workers on the home front help till the land. Long live the alliance of the working class and peasants!‘ [Source: topfoto.co.uk] |
| TITLE: | YEAR: | FORM: | GENRE: |
| The workers and peasants are wiping out the lords and barons… | 1920 | Colour Lithograph | Poster |
| ARTIST: | DATES: | ORIGIN: | MOVEMENT: |
| Apsit, Alexander Petrovich | 1880-1944, aged 64 | Russian Graphic artist | Russian propaganda |
| LOCATION: | SIZE (cms): | [1567-14] | |
| Nedelya Krestyanina Commission | 90 x 64 |
  Image source: pinterest.com |
| This 1920 Soviet Russian propaganda poster stated, We destroyed our enemy with weapons, we will earn our bread with labour – Comrades, roll up your sleeves for work! A lithograph poster in colour by Nikolai Kogout. [Source: Wikimedia commons] |
| TITLE: | YEAR: | FORM: | GENRE: |
| We destroyed the enemy with weapons, we’ll earn our bread with labour… | 1920 | Colour Lithograph | Poster |
| ARTIST: | DATES: | ORIGIN: | MOVEMENT: |
| Kogout. Nikolai | 1891-1959, aged 68 | Russian Graphic artist | Russian propaganda |
| LOCATION: | SIZE (cms): | [1567-15] | |
| Literary Publishing Department, RVSR Political Administration | 71 x 54 |
| The subject of Moor’s 1920 poster is a celebration of the May Day subbotnik (from Subbota – Saturday, and Nik – unpaid work). This was a day of volunteer work, held throughout Russia, to help the communist cause in the Civil War, the subbotnik held on the 1st of May 1920 was attended by Lenin himself, who called it ‘the actual beginnings of the communism’. [Source: tate.org.uk] |   Image source: artprintsforpleasure.com |
| TITLE: | YEAR: | FORM: | GENRE: |
| 1st of May, the All-Russian voluntary-work day! | 1920 | Colour Lithograph | Poster |
| ARTIST: | DATES: | ORIGIN: | MOVEMENT: |
| Moor, Dmitry Stakhiyevich | 1883-1943, aged 60 | Russian Graphic artist | Russian propaganda |
| LOCATION: | SIZE (cms): | [1567-16] | |
| Literary Publishing Department, RVSR Political Administration | 72 x 52 |
 Image source: artprintsforpleasure.com  | Yuri Bondi’s 1920 poster claims, our revolution will still be going in 100 years. |
| TITLE: | YEAR: | FORM: | GENRE: |
| Our revolution will still be going in 100 years | 1920 | Colour Lithograph | Poster |
| ARTIST: | DATES: | ORIGIN: | MOVEMENT: |
| Bondi, Yuri | 1889-1926, aged 37 | Russian stage designer | Russian propaganda |
| LOCATION: | SIZE (cms): | [1567-17] | |
| Kostroma ROSTA Windows (or Posters) Group | 72 x 58 |
| 1922 Soviet Poster. ‘Long Live the Fifth Anniversary of the Great Proletarian Revolution!’ lithograph by Ivan Simakov. [Source: granger.com] |   Image source:Meister Drecke |
| TITLE: | YEAR: | FORM: | GENRE: |
| Long Live the Fifth Anniversary of the Great Proletarian Revolution! | 1922 | Colour Lithograph | Poster |
| ARTIST: | DATES: | ORIGIN: | MOVEMENT: |
| Simakov, Ivan Vasilyevitch | 1877-1925, aged 48 | Russian painter | Russian propaganda |
| LOCATION: | SIZE (cms): | [1567-18] | |
| 74 x 101 |
  Image source: Bridgeman Images | The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League usually known as Komsomol (was a political youth organization in the Soviet Union. It is sometimes described as the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), although it was officially independent and referred to as the helper and the reserve of the CPSU. [Source: Wikimedia commons] |
| TITLE: | YEAR: | FORM: | GENRE: |
| Young Communist League is the shock battalion of the Five Year Plan | 1931 | Colour Lithograph | Poster |
| ARTIST: | DATES: | ORIGIN: | MOVEMENT: |
| Lyushin, Vladimir Ivanovich | 1888-1970, aged 82 | Russian painter | Russian propaganda |
| LOCATION: | SIZE (cms): | [1567-19] | |
| Moscow-Leningrad Izogiz | 106 x 73 |
  Image source: press-files.anu.edu.au |
| Stalin gained control of the Politburo at the Fifteenth Party Congress on 18 December 1927 demonstrating that not only had he been a close companion and confidant of Lenin, but that he had always supported Lenin’s political positions and was a devoted adherent to his dogma. In his interview with the German author Emil Ludwig, Stalin stated modestly: As for myself, I am just a pupil of Lenin’s, and the aim of my life is to be a worthy pupil of his. The first appearances of Stalin with Lenin in a poster occur in the year 1930. This poster by an unknown artist was published in Samara by the Propaganda Department and Theoretical Studies Regional Committee of Middle-Volga Komsomol. [Source: properganderpressblog.wordpress.com] |
| TITLE: | YEAR: | FORM: | GENRE: |
| Komsomol political education system mid-Volga organisation V.L.K.S.M for 1930–31 | 1930-1 | Colour Lithograph | Poster |
| ARTIST: | DATES: | ORIGIN: | MOVEMENT: |
| Unidentified | Russian propaganda | ||
| LOCATION: | SIZE (cms): | [1567-20] | |
| Russian State Library | 75 x 28 |
| Kokorekin’s 1932 poster was entitled Unite the power of science with the creative energy of the working class. [Source: properganderpressblog. wordpress.com] |   Image source: culturematters.org.uk |
| TITLE: | YEAR: | FORM: | GENRE: |
| Unite the power of science with the creative energy of the working class | 1932 | Colour Lithograph | Poster |
| ARTIST: | DATES: | ORIGIN: | MOVEMENT: |
| Kokorekin, Alexei Alexeyevich | 1906-1959. aged 53 | Russian poster designer | Russian propaganda |
| LOCATION: | SIZE (cms): | [1567-21] | |
| Moscow-Leningrad Ogiz-Izogiz | 104 x 74 |
  Image source: press-files.anu.edu.au | Irakli Moiseevich Toidze was a Georgian painter, graphic artist and illustrator. He is known for creating military posters, The Homeland Flame! being his best-known work. Toidze was one of the recognised figures in the art of Stalinist socialist realism. He was awarded four Stalin Prizes. [Source: pl.wikipedia.org] |
| TITLE: | YEAR: | FORM: | GENRE: |
| With the banner of Lenin… | 1933 | Colour Lithograph | Poster |
| ARTIST: | DATES: | ORIGIN: | MOVEMENT: |
| Toidze, Irakly Moiseyevich | 1902-1985, aged 83 | Russian painter | Russian propaganda |
| LOCATION: | SIZE (cms): | ||
| Russian State Library | 110 x 82 |
Forward to 1.6 Modern Art – post-WWI to 1950s
Back to 1.5.6 Eastern Europe Index (1899-1953) – Back to 1 Art and Sculpture
