[IAv': Stikhi]

Artist Aristarkh Lentulov (Russian, 1882-1943)

Publisher [Izd-vo "IAv'", Moscow], 1919

Author Various artists

Date1919

Dimensionsbook: 10 1/2 x 6 7/8 in. (267 x 175mm)
page: 10 3/8 x 6 1/2 in. (263 x 165mm)

MediumOriginal print: lithograph in colors (cover) Text: letterpress Paper: heavy brown wove paper

ClassificationBooks

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number

1981.2

Not on View

Description Aristarkh Lentulov Russian, 1882-1943 IAV'. STIKHI (REALITY: VERSES) Text by various authors (Andrei Belyi, Boris Pasternak, Sergei Esenin, et al.) Moscow: Iav', 1919 Photolithograph Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey, 1981.2 Aristarkh Lentulov, a painter and theatrical designer, produced this cover for a collection of verses by poet friends in celebration of the Bolshevik Revolution. His image of a factory uprising, with workers emerging carrying red banners, recalls in mytho-heroic form recent events of the Revolution. The massed procession of workers, prominent flags and banners, and dynamic composition of flattened, angled planes of Lentulov's design reflect the agit-prop (agitational propaganda) style of the many commemorative festivals staged to stimulate enthusiasm and support for the young Communist regime.

Label TextUSSR in Construction, published in four languages (here in German), was an instrument of Stalin's government to promote a favorable image of the Soviet Union abroad. Each monthly issue was devoted to a single theme, here the heroic strides made by the Soviet military since the Revolution and the formidable national defense it now presented. Lissitzky designed this and other issues: he coached the photographers, then selected, manipulated, cut, and assembled the photographs. The dynamic layouts convey an optimistic and aggressive message of national strength and collective purpose.Exhibition HistoryTMA show: Russia After the Czars, 1/23/97 - 3/30/97 TMA Russian Books & Prints: Dec.19,1981 - Feb.15,1982 Between the Wars; Sept. 5 2008 through Dec.31 2008