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stalin poster of the week

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This blog was first published on the properganderpress website https://properganderpressblog.wordpress.com/category/stalin-poster-of-the-week/

Stalin poster of the week 94 (SPotW94)

26/8/2018

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Nikolai Denisov & Nina Vatolina, Long live the great invincible banner of Marx-Engels-Lenin-Stalin! Proletarians of all countries unite!, 1941

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Nikolai Denisov & Nina Vatolina (Денисов, Н. и Ватолина, Н.), Long live the great invincible banner of Marx-Engels- Lenin-Stalin! Proletarians of all countries unite! (Да здравствует великое непобедимое знамя МАРКСА-ЭНГЕЛЬСА-ЛЕНИНА-СТАЛИНА!), 1941

This 1941 poster by successful graphic duo Nikolai Denisov and Nina Vatolina is part of an ongoing theme of Stalin poster that depicts the continuing lineage of great revolutionary thinkers.


Although the Great Patriotic War largely saw the revolutionary thinkers theme disappear for a period of time, there is one poster that deals with this theme from the early days of the war, carrying the slogan ‘Long live the great invincible banner of Marx–Engels–Lenin–Stalin!’. Perhaps during the war ideology took a back seat to more critical matters.


The poster is dominated by the busts of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin, all gazing to the viewer’s left at the same distant point. Stalin is shown as the most recent in the lineup of giants of Marxist thought.


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Stalin’s theoretical work on the science of communism extends that of Marx, Engels and Lenin

However, unlike Gustav Klutsis’ famous poster of 1933, Stalin is not differentiated from the other three, either in pose or manner of treatment.  The diagonal line formed by the row of heads (Stalin’s head is the closest and largest, ostensibly due to perspective) is counterpoised by the diagonal of the bottom of the banner which has the words ‘Proletarians of all countries, unite!’ inscribed in small white lettering across the top.


Lenin stands at the right shoulder of Stalin, with Engels on Lenin’s right, and Marx on his right, but the poster portrays the great men as equals.


As Marx, Engels and Lenin are dead, and their writings have become dogma, the implication is that Stalin’s writings and pronouncements too are dogmatic, and a further development in the evolution of Communist thought.


While the portraits are realistic, they have a chiseled, immovable quality about them, and disappear into an uneven white wash at the bottom of the page.


In 1941, the Soviet people are being urged to place their faith in the wisdom of Stalin and in this poster Stalin has joined the Communist gods.


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Stalin poster of the week 93 (SPotW93)

19/8/2018

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Viktor Govorkov, In the name of communism, 1951

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Viktor Govorkov (Говорков, В.), In the name of communism (во имя коммунизма), 1951

Stalin and Lenin are juxtaposed as equals in Viktor Govorkov’s 1951 poster ‘In the name of communism’ which depicts the past and the present with realistic parallel scenes involving Lenin and Stalin.

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Lenin displays a 1920 book outlining plans for the electrification of the Russian republic.

Both men are planning the electrification of the nation on a map. In Lenin’s left hand is a book titled Plan for the electrification of the RSFSR, 1920.


Lenin was always strongly associated with electricity in propaganda campaigns aiming to electrify the nation using the slogan ‘Communism is Soviet power plus the electrification of the whole country,’ which was originally a quotation from a 1930 speech by Lenin.


In the Soviet Union, lightbulbs were commonly referred to as ‘Ilich’s little lamps’ and Lenin was ceremonially thanked for delivering electricity to new communes.


During Stalin’s leadership, electrification remained strongly tied to Lenin, although Stalin was also associated with bringing power to the nation through massive industrial projects like the Dnieper Dam.



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Stalin’s book outlines the plan for the electrification of the whole of the Soviet Union

In Govorkov’s poster, Stalin holds his unlit pipe and a newspaper with the headline ‘World Victory’ in his left arm. On the table lies a book titled Electrification of the SSSR and he is marking out the Main Turkmen Canal.


Thus, Stalin is seen to be continuing the work begun by Lenin. Lenin’s plan extends across the entire Russian republic, while Stalin’s encompasses the whole of the Soviet Union.


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A greying Stalin looks back over 20 years of achievement

Building of the Main Turkmen Canal in Turkmenistan began in late 1950, but was halted in 1953 after Stalin’s death. It was replaced by the construction of the 1300km long Qaraqum Canal further south in 1954.
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Stalin poster of the week 92 (SPotW92)

12/8/2018

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Viktor Ivanov, 1918 – 1948. Glory to the Party of Lenin and Stalin – the Organizer of Victorious Armed Forces of the USSR!, 1948

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Viktor Ivanov (Иванов, В.), 1918 – 1948. Glory to the Party of Lenin and Stalin – the Organizer of Victorious Armed Forces of the USSR! (1918-1948 слава партия ленина-сталина – организатору победоносных вооруженных сил ссср!), 1948

The 1948 poster ‘Glory to the Party of Lenin and Stalin – the Organiser of Victorious Armed Forces of the USSR’ by Viktor Ivanov celebrates 30 years of the Red Army and its history of victories from the Civil War through to the recent victory in the Great Patriotic War in 1945.

In the poster, Stalin is not credited with sole responsibility for victory in the war. The poster allocates responsibility for the victory to the Bolshevik Party, rather than to the military and strategic brilliance of the great leader alone.



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A diamond-studded victory medallion forms a focal point in the poster

The imagery of the poster focuses on might and victory, the central image being that of the sparkling red star victory medallion and curling ribbon, resting in front of ears of grain, and imagery denoting the army, navy and airforce.

In the background, the sky is criss-crossed with search lights (a recurring motif in these later posters) contributing to the sense of movement and action in the distance, while in the foreground the only suggestion of movement comes from the gentle motion of the three flags flapping in the breeze.

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Stone bas-relief portraits of Stalin and Lenin grace the rippling banner that flies protectively over the flags of the army, navy and airforce.

The top of the picture plane is dominated by the largest flag, with the cameos of Lenin and Stalin, while beneath it fly three more flags, two of them largely obscured by the third one which reads ‘For the Soviet motherland.’

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Flags of the Soviet army, navy and airforce fly amid a composite of aircraft, turrets and tanks as searchlights criss-cross the sky

By 1948 Stalin appears in the Marshal’s uniform in almost all posters. Stalin had been made Marshal of the Soviet Union in 1943, and Generalissimus in 1945, although he refused to wear the ostentatious, newly designed uniform of the generalissimus.


In this poster, Stalin’s identification with the warrior archetype is complete and can now be taken for granted.


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Stalin poster of the week 91 (SPotW91)

5/8/2018

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Dmitrii Moor (Orlov) and Sergei Sen’kin, Long Live Our Dear Invincible Red Army!, 1938

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Dmitrii Moor (Orlov) and Sergei Sen’kin (Дмитрий Моор и Сергей Сенькин), Long Live Our Dear Invincible Red Army! (Да здравствует наша родная, непобедимая красная армия!), 1938

Throughout the 25 years of his leadership of the Soviet Union, Stalin frequently appeared in posters alongside the image of Lenin. In ‘Long Live Our Dear Invincible Red Army!’ by Dmitrii Moor and Sergei Sen’kin, Stalin and Lenin are both featured in large individual black-and-white photographic portraits, each under a red aircraft, and above scenes showing battle-ready armed forces of all branches.

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Stalin and Lenin appear as equals. Stalin is no longer portrayed as the disciple and student of Lenin, but as a leader and thinker in his own right.

Under each of the leaders is a quote from them that stresses the popular nature of the Soviet armed forces as an army for the people – that is, the workers and peasants.

Lenin: “For the first time in the world an army has been created, an armed force that knows what it is fighting for.”
Stalin: “Our army is the only one in the world that has the sympathy and support of the workers and peasants. Therein lies its strength, that is its stronghold.”


Lenin and Stalin face inwards, their faces in three-quarter view, neither of them engaging the eye of the viewer. They appear almost as sentries over the flags of the armed services, and the text of Article 132 of the 1936 (Stalin) Constitution of the USSR:

“Article 132. Universal military service is law. Military service in the Armed Forces of the USSR is honorable duty of citizens of the USSR.”

Everything else in the poster faces out – soldiers, airplanes, guns, turrets, tanks, horses and ships. Stalin and Lenin protect the homeland from within, while the armed forces are ever-vigilant and demonstrate their preparedness to go out to war if necessary.

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    Dr Anita Pisch

    Anita’s new, fully illustrated book, The personality cult of Stalin in Soviet posters, 1929 -1953, published by ANU Press, is available for free download here, and can also be purchased in hard copy from ANU Press.

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BLOG ARCHIVE - STALIN POSTER OF THE WEEK
SPotW1 Toidze 1947
SPotW2 Klutsis 1930
SPotW3 Chronicle 1938
SPotW4 Podobedov 1940
SPotW5
Deni 1930
SPotW6 Klutsis 1933
SPotW7 Efimov 1933
SPotW8 Govorkov 1936
SPotW9 Koretskii 1949
SPotW10
Foreign policy 1940
SPotW11 Pravdin 1950
SPotW12 Karpovskii 1948
SPotW13 Mizin 1934
SPotW14 Klutsis 1931
SPotW15
Koretskii 1943
SPotW16 I.V. Stalin 1930
SPotW17 Volkova/Pinus 1938
SPotW18 Toidze 1941
SPotW19 Stalin's affection 1949
SPotW20 Berezovskii 1947


SPotW21 50 Years 1929
SPotW22 Petrov 1948
SPotW23 Arakelov 1939
SPotW24 Ivanov 1952
SPotW25 Solomyanii 1952


SPotW26 Belopol'skii 1952
SPotW27 Kaidalov 1940
SPotW28 Mytnikov 1950
SPotW29 Yang 1938
SPotW30 Golub' 1950


SPotW31 Vorontsov 1951
SPotW32 Belopol'skii, 1951
SPotW33 Deni 1931
SPotW34 Madorskii 1938
SPotW35 Leader, teacher, friend 1941


SPotW36 Al'menov 1951
SPotW37 Deni 1937
SPotW38 Cheprakov 1941
SPotW39 Enemy, 1941
SPotW40 Zotov, 1934

SPotW41 Grinets 1937
SPotW42 Vatolina 1939
SPot
W43  Zhukov 1940
SPotW44 Fedotov 1943
SPotW45 Golub' 1949

SPotW46 Vatolina 1950
SPotW47 Solov'ev 1950
SPotW48 Mel'nikova 1951
SPotW49 Kokorekin 1951
SPotW50 Ivanov El'tsufen 1952

SPotW51 Unknown 1952
SPotW52 Klutsis 1932
SPotW53 Printing 1950
SPotW54 Lukhtein 1951
SPotW55 Toidze 1946

SPotW56 Litvinov 1949
SPotW57 Serov 1942
SPotW58 Pinchuk 1943
SPotW59 Petrov 1952
SPotW60 Podobedov 1939

SPotW61 Babitskii 1944
SPotW62 Pen Varlen 1942
SPotW63 Bayuskin 1942
SPotW64 Belopol'skii 1950
SPotW65 Belopol'skii 1952

SPotW 81 Koretskii 1950
SPotW 82 Pravdin 1950
SPotW83 Vatolina 1938
SPotW 84 Deni 1938
SPotW85 
Koretskii 1945


SPotW66 Dlugach 1933
SPotW67 Zhitomirskii 1942
SPotW68 Toidze 1949
SPotW69 Mikhailov 1937
SPotW70 Cheprakov 1939

SPotW 86 Kazantsev 1944
SPotW 87 Civil War 1938

SPotW 88 Kun 1937
SPotW 89 Spirit 1941
SPotW 90 Ryvkin 1939

SPotW71 Deni 1935
SPotW72 Deni 1935
SPotW73 Defence 1938
SPotW74 Elkin 1939
SPotW75 Zarnitskii

SPotW 91 Moor 1938
SPotW 92 Ivanov 1948
SPotW 93 Govorkov 1951
SPotW 94 Denisov 1941
SPotW 95 Ledby 1942

SPotW76 Toidze 1943
SPotW77 Futerfas 1936
SPotW78 Mukhin 1945
SPotW79 Golub' 1948
SPotW80 Karpovskii 1948

SPotW 96
SPotW 97
SPotW 98
SPotW 99
SPotW 100

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