Red Etchings

 

Following the 1917 Revolution, Russian authorities encouraged the development of book design as a means of communicating official Soviet ideology. It was part of the so-called Likbez—a pro-literacy propaganda campaign that began after the Bolsheviks took power. The new Soviet government believed that fighting illiteracy was key to political propaganda. After all, they had total control over publishing and schools—the only obstacle was the peoples’ inability to read. Likbez was also intended to help create a new cultural reality in which a “new Soviet person” could emerge. As a result, the state helped propel a cult of reading that persisted until the collapse of the USSR. Books, papers, and magazines were published in the millions and sold cheaply. It was considered shameful not to read books, and it was impossible to imagine a typical Soviet apartment without a personal library. The profession of writer was considered prestigious, and so was that of book illustrator. The state commissioned many artists—both famous and unknown—to create book designs. This exhibition features book covers, original prints, and draft designs by four of them.

 

Zoya Kruzhkova (b. 1947) is an artist best known for her etchings, lithographs, watercolors, and pastels. The exhibition features an etching for the now-forgotten pre-revolutionary Russian novella The Adventures of the Blue Banknote.