Religious motifs in “Segodnyashniy lubok” and “Okna ROSTA and Glavpolitprosvet” of V. V. Mayakovsky

The propaganda posters in “Segodnyashniy lubok” and “Windows of satire of the Russian Telegraph Agency (Okna ROSTA) and Glavpolitprosvet” series are similar both in visual and verbal sense. Many artistic principles, first invented for the World War I posters by V. V. Mayakovsky, K. S. Malevich, D. D. Burlyuk, V. N. Chekrygin, I. I. Mashkov, and A. V. Lentulov were developed further in the posters of the Civil War and early Soviet Republic period (1919 to 1922) by V. V. Mayakovsky, I. A. Malyutin, A. M. Lavinsky, A. S. Levin, O. M. Brik, and others. One of the features characteristic for both was the use of symbols derived from the Bible and Russian icons. And while its presence was moderate in the war-time posters (showing the contrast between the enemy and the Soviet heroes by means of color and dynamics, usage of the three-color set characteristic for Russian icons, some more elements of an icon), it is much more pronounced in “Windows of satire of the Russian Telegraph Agency (Okna ROSTA) and Glavpolitprosvet”. They are abundant with quotes from the Bible (e.g. “light of truth”, “sun of truth”), follow the solemn style of the Psalms, and borrow the color and composition from the icons extensively. By these means Mayakovsky stressed the importance of the workers' and peasants' cause and raised the mundane work of rebuilding the post-war economy to the level of the quest for the Promised Land.