The Message

I have quite a few prints of old Soviet propaganda posters around the place, mostly designs from the 1920s and 1930s. They're fascinating images, especially those from the Constructivist period when conflicting lines, angles and geometric shapes were the basis of most pieces of Soviet art. They were designed, like any propaganda, to impart a resounding message as simply and effectively as possible, and drew on centuries of artwork by the Russian Orthodox Church which had aimed to teach the stories of the Bible to a largely illiterate population.

This one, aimed at the indigenous peoples of Siberia, urges them to VOTE FOR THE WORKERS IN YOUR NATIVE COUNCIL - KEEP OUT THE SHAMANS AND KULAKS! To better illustrate this point, a disgruntled kulak and shaman are making their way out in the bottom right hand corner, although their expressions, coupled with the fact that the shaman's holding a drum of some sort, make it look a little like they've just been voted off The X Factor.