Back in the USSR: 1920s Soviet film posters – in pictures
During the brief period of artistic freedom before Stalinism, these avant garde film posters were as bold and innovative as the movies they advertised
Main image: From Russia with love … Mikhail Dlugach, film poster for Yego Kariera, 1928. Photograph: TaschenThu 13 Jan 2022 02.00 EST Last modified on Wed 19 Oct 2022 11.01 EDT
Anonymous, film poster for Ester iz Solema, 1929
A selection of 250 film posters capture the cultural energy of the pre-Stalin era. Drawn from the private collection of connoisseur Susan Pack, the selection includes the work of 27 different artists. Film Posters of the Russian Avant-Garde is published by Taschen. All images: Taschen/Susan Pack collection Share on Facebook Share on TwitterAnatoly Belsky, film poster for The Private Life of Peter Vinograd, 1934
The Russian avant garde film posters of the mid-1920s to early 1930s are unlike any film posters ever created. Although this period of artistic freedom in the Soviet Union was brief, these powerful, startling images remain among the most brilliant and imaginative posters ever conceived Share on Facebook Share on TwitterAnton Lavinsky, film poster for Miss Mend, 1927
The artists experimented with the same innovative cinematic techniques used in the films they were advertising, such as extreme close-ups, unusual angles and dramatic proportions Share on Facebook Share on TwitterNikolai Prusakov, film poster for Pyat Minut, 1929
From bold figuration to architectural elements, each artist displays a distinct style and aesthetic. Yet collectively they eschew the glamour of Hollywood for more stark, striking, even challenging images Share on Facebook Share on TwitterAnatoly Belsky, film poster for Trubka Kommunard, 1929
In the foreword, Christopher W Mount, curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, writes: ‘Cinema – a relatively new art form in the 1920s – had obvious social applications for use as propaganda because of its basic narrative character, and its growth and experimentation were encouraged throughout the Soviet Union. Consequently, it is not surprising that many of the most prominent artists of the time applied their skills to the production of film advertisements and posters’ Share on Facebook Share on TwitterMikhail Dlugach, film poster for Yego Kariera, 1928
Montaging disparate elements, such as adding photography to lithography, juxtaposed the action from one scene with a character from another. Brimming with bold colours, dramatic angles and eye‑catching typography, these startling designs bear witness to the experimental avant garde of those days, before Soviet realism became the official art doctrine Share on Facebook Share on TwitterZIM, film poster for Spartakiada, 1927
The juxtaposition of scale is responsible for much of the dynamism and originality of composition in the posters. The sense of movement and of vertigo, and the use of repetition, so prominent in the work of the Stenbergs, are reminiscent of the cinematic arts Share on Facebook Share on TwitterSmolyakovsky, film poster for Konveier Smerti, 1933
From the narrative aspects of the films comes the underlying anxiety depicted in many of the frightened female faces as well as an often overt sexuality atypical of advertisements of the period Share on Facebook Share on TwitterNikolai Prusakov and Grigori Borisov, film poster for Puteshestvie na Mars, c 1926
The often unusual coloration of the posters and the penchant for contrasting tones signal a departure from previous realism towards a more abstract composition and expression Share on Facebook Share on TwitterNikolai Prusakov, film poster for Pervy Kornet Streshnev, 1928
The 1917 revolution changed life in Russia politically, socially and artistically. Art became regarded as an important force in shaping the future of the new state. Slogans such as ‘Art into life’ and ‘Art into technology’ expressed the popular belief that art had the power to transform lives on every level Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
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