Propaganda posters of the NEP period in the USSR. Propaganda posters in the early USSR

Modern PR technologies have gone far ahead compared to the propaganda means of relatively recent times. Today we are most influenced electronic means mass media, among which vital importance The Internet is becoming more and more active. At the same time, such a seemingly outdated method of instilling and forming the right thoughts as a propaganda poster remains in demand and effective.

IN pre-revolutionary Russia leaflets and other printed media, including posters, were rarely used by the official authorities. But in the early years this type of propaganda acquired special meaning, received rapid development and even became a separate species modernist and futuristic art. The people had to outline the joyful prospects of the new world, create an impression of the regularity of the changes taking place and instill in them the idea of ​​​​an inevitable and difficult bloody struggle and selfless labor. Bright and bold colors and unusual approaches to the design of these mass-produced works of art were required. Soviet propaganda posters of those years are distinguished by their expressiveness and revolutionary nature, not only in content, but also in form. They call to sign up as volunteers for the Red Army, beat the bourgeoisie, donate bread to proletarian food detachments and not drink raw water, avoiding the dangerous vibrios teeming in it. Poets (Denny, Mayakovsky and others) also had a hand in the creation of these masterpieces (their rare copies are highly prized today), which explains their high artistic merit.

Interwar period

The harsh years have passed, and new ones have begun, also difficult ones. The curves of the party's political line were repeated by propaganda posters. The USSR was building socialism, the NEP was curtailed, the scale of the creation of an industrial base was accompanied by no less grandiose transformations of the countryside. Industrialization was accompanied by collectivization, which left peasants with virtually no property, both private and personal. It was difficult and hungry for people. There was a need to explain why and why they should patiently endure adversity and hardship, in the name of what.

Today in some countries this task is performed by television, less often by radio, pointing to bright prospects, for example, of democracy and freedom. At that time, these funds were not available, at least not broad masses, but a propaganda poster hanging on a fence, a poster stand, or even just on the wall, successfully replaced them. In addition to calls to work hard and strengthen everything possible, warnings about insidious enemies and spies, against whom the only defense is vigilance, have become relevant. And there is no need to talk much...

Holy war

The most famous wartime propaganda poster in Soviet years was familiar to everyone, both old and young. It depicts a woman whose face expresses anger. Against the backdrop of rising bayonets, the Motherland called everyone who could stand up for her under the fluttering banners. There are probably no other posters in the world that are equal in their expressive power to this work. The song “Holy War” rings in the ears of everyone who sees him.

There were other examples of propaganda printing from the times of the Great Patriotic War, they clearly showed the crimes of the invaders, children huddling against the wall in front of a fascist bayonet pointed at them, black bombs flying towards peaceful Soviet cities, and Soviet soldiers crushing the hordes of Nazis with a decisive blow.

Particularly noteworthy are the posters ridiculing the German Fuhrer and his political entourage. The artists wittily noticed the caricatured features of the faces and figures of the Nazi “Parteigenosse”, and their works evoked laughter, which is so necessary in war...

Post-war decades

The propaganda poster did not lose its relevance even after the victory. While glorifying Soviet soldiers-liberators, the authors should not forget about the urgent tasks of restorative and creative work. Many examples of those years, despite the impeccability of the artistic form, acquired signs of officialdom, unnecessary pomp, and sometimes complete meaninglessness. What, for example, is the call to vote for “the further flourishing of our cities and villages” worth? And who in 1950 (and, in fact, today too) would oppose it? Or here’s another topic - about collective farm harvests. Who is it addressed to? The collective farmers already knew how they lived. Bad and poor. And the townspeople guessed about it.

The following decades, alas, continued this sad tradition. Posters dedicated to the corn epic, virgin lands, BAM and other achievements not only did not reflect reality (this is not required of propaganda media), but were also greatly inferior in artistic terms early works proletarian artists.

The only ones that stood out were those dedicated to our cosmonauts. They were truly drawn from the heart.

Another important type of propaganda used by the Bolsheviks in early years- This is poster propaganda. The role of the poster is especially great in the years civil war. We can say that in those conditions, posters replaced the lack of newspapers. The poster is clear and understandable even to an illiterate person.

The importance the Bolsheviks attached to poster propaganda is evidenced by the fact that the transportation of political propaganda posters was equated to the delivery of urgent military cargo. It was forbidden to tear down or damage posters with political content.

From the article Chaus N.V. “Soviet posters 1917-1920.” the main means of promoting socialist ideology":

“It is strictly forbidden to tear down and cover up a poster; those responsible will be held accountable,” was printed on many posters. “Anyone who tears down this poster or covers it with a poster is committing a counter-revolutionary act.” This was the stern warning printed during the Civil War on political posters pasted on the walls of houses, on fences, and on train cars heading to the front.

Agitation train carriage

In the 1920s. propaganda posters are beginning to be actively used, as social advertising: the fight for universal literacy, health (the fight against tuberculosis, drunkenness, improper child care), women's equality, fight against homelessness, etc.

Children's Home, 1920

E. E. Lezhen in the article “Poster as a means of political agitation in 1917-1930s” writes:

Most pre-revolutionary artists began to collaborate with the Soviet government. Among them were Itinerants, And Russian impressionists(A.A. Rylov, K.F. Yuon), and World of Art(E.E. Lansere, M.V. Dobuzhinsky), and members of the association "Blue Rose"(P.V. Kuznetsov, M.S. Saryan), and supporters "Jack of Diamonds"(P.P. Konchalovsky, I.I. Mashkov, A.V. Lentulov). At first, a special place in the fine arts department of the People's Commissariat for Education was occupied by abstractionists V.V. Kandinsky and K.S. Malevich.

The revolution gave birth to new directions. Russian revolutionary avant-garde "Unovis"(“Proponents of the New Art”, 1919 - 1920: K.S. Malevich, M.Z. Chagall, L.M. Lisitsky) declared a fight for “pure” art and began to develop propaganda forms. "KNIFE" ("New Society of Painters") was close to the Jack of Diamonds. Proletkult made an attempt to create an organization of a new proletarian culture “on the ruins of the past,” abandoning the classical heritage, but did not last long.

Moore, Red Gift, 1920. The painting shows: Mother and Child House,Council of Workers' and Peasants' Deputies, Kindergarten, School for adults, Library, Working Women's Club

In the post-revolutionary years, V. Mayakovsky contributed to the organization of the so-called “Windows of GROWTH” (Russian Telegraph Agency), in which M.M. played a special role. Cheremnykh and D.S. Moore. At that time, artists were involved in the creation of propaganda materials that were understandable to the illiterate population. Posters were displayed by the telegraph agency in the windows of the first floor, hence the name of the organization - “Windows of GROWTH”.

V. V. Mayakovsky. “Every absence is a joy to the enemy...” 1921

Art critic Tatyana Sergeevna Igorshina writes:

Poster works of the first revolutionary decades were characterized by avant-garde compositional, graphic and stylistic techniques. This is the active use of photomontage in the image, complemented by font compositions and hand-drawn background elements; eccentric diagonal compositions composed of graphic illustrations, letters, arrows, raster motifs, exclamation marks. Social posters used dominant figures in unusual angles and poses, enhancing the appeal and emotionality of the poster. Avant-garde experiments of constructivist artists (A. M. Rodchenko, V. V. Mayakovsky, L. Lisitsky, brothers V. A. and G. A. Stenberg, D. A. Bulanov, G. G. Klutsis, S. Ya. Senkin and others) in the poster genre enriched world poster graphics with original means of artistic expression.

Malyutin, 1920

During the Soviet era, posters were extremely popular. Soviet era posters can be divided into advertising, informational and. They were created by professional artists, and the text was invented by talented authors, who are now commonly called “creatives.” Such posters not only carried a semantic load, talked about important things, warned, encouraged or instilled certain values ​​in people. Accurate phrases, as well as the talented depiction of the main characters of the posters, characterized by the presence of humor and sarcasm, look very cheerful and funny.

During the Soviet era, posters hung almost everywhere - on the streets, in shops, in factories, in public transport. Furthermore, the posters were so bright, eye-catching and funny that they were hung with pleasure in houses and apartments, just like in our time they hang photographs of their favorite movie or music stars, or beautiful posters from http://tvoyposter.ru/. The most famous among all types of Soviet posters are military propaganda posters and propaganda posters against drunkenness, but there were many other areas of this type of art.

Next you can see a selection of posters from the USSR about work or on the topic various professions. These posters are precisely propaganda posters and have a bright appealing character. The main meaning put into such images was the promotion of honest work, the fight against quitters, slackers and, of course, the most important problem in our country - drunkenness. Posters with laconic and precise phrases that are etched in the memory, with beautiful, clean, well-groomed, well-dressed and happy people call on people to lead an honest working life, abandon dubious undertakings and bad habits. Only such a person is able to achieve success in life, and a society consisting of such people can boldly hope for a bright and happy future.

USSR posters about work