“I want the pen to be on par with the bayonet, ” wrote Soviet poet, Vladimir Maiakovskii. During the Second World War, Soviet troops were not only found on the battlefield. Hundreds of artists joined their comrades in defense of the Motherland by producing propaganda posters nearly every day of the war from 1941 – 1946 for TASS, the Soviet Union’s press agency.
“Windows on the War: Soviet TASS Posters at Home and Abroad, 1941-1945,” on exhibition through this weekend at the Art Institute of Chicago, features a collection of the rare surviving posters which have not been seen in the United States since the war. The posters offer a fascinating vantage into the artistic, cultural, and historical perspective of the Soviet Union from the early stages of World War II through “Victory!”
Nikolai Fedorovich Denisovskii and Pavel Petrovich Sokolov-Skalia. Our One Thousandth Blow, 1944. Soviet artists, writers, and soldiers join forces against the wolf-like enemy.
“You don’t even need to read the captions,” commented my Russian colleague as we traversed time through the images, taking me much longer as I read each translation. “The posters speak for themselves.” Indeed, the images of starving Soviet children, villagers locked alive in a burning church, Stalingrad under siege, caricatures of Nazi scoundrels, and stalwart Mother Russia beckoning aid express so much without understanding their Cyrillic script. The posters employ a range of styles to achieve their message from folkloric tradition, through graphic satire, Socialist realism, historical idealization, and the grotesque. Speaking loudly, vibrantly, they convey the same ideals in so many different ways.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Maiakovskii. Forward, Comrades, to New Positions!!(ROSTA 289), 1921. A watercolor in the folkloric style warns against letting down the cause’s guard to rest after victory.
Pavel Petrovich Sokolov-Skalia. Untitled, 1943.
Stalin and representatives from an array of the Soviet Union’s ethnicies unite gazing westward under the banner of the Communist Youth Organization in an example of Socialist realism.
At first glance, one would hardly notice that each large, vivid artwork is a series of stenciled images painted entirely by hand on newsprint. This method took the skill of a team of artists, cutters, painters, trimmers, and technicians to produce the posters on a massive scale, but bypassed the need for machinery during the limitations of the war. With each color in the poster’s design requiring a different stencil, the most intricate designs demanded up to 70 different stencils. These commanding artworks stood between five and ten feet tall in Soviet storefront windows providing inspiration, incitement, and darkly comic relief to its citizens.
Artist Alexis Petroff was contracted to painstakingly reproduce the cutting, stenciling, and painting of the 30 layers required to create The Moralistic Wolf. The intricate process is documented in the short film by The Art Institute below.
Alexis Petroff. Recreated prints of The Moralistic Wolf.
Pavel Petrovich Sokolov-Skalia. Defenders of Moscow, 1941. Portraying the air raids on Moscow, this poster is the largest in the exhibition comprised of 17 panels and standing 11 feet tall. The last panel reads, “With valor and courage the entire nation greets each hostile air raid.”
The themes expressed in the propaganda afford a fascinating view of how the Soviets viewed themselves, the enemy, and the fate of the world at this critical time in history. The Motherland, the heroic past, the idealized leadership, cultural legacy, and partisan patriotism are expectedly featured extensively. The many satirical incarnations of Hitler and the Axis are insightful and entertaining, with simultaneous portrayals of the disturbing and preposterous. As writer Vladimir Kemenov said, “The moment the foe becomes ridiculous he ceases to be terrifying.”
Pavel Petrovich Sokolov-Skalia. Hitler and “Fraternal” Austria, 1945.
Kukryniksy. The Metamorphosis of the “Fritzes,” 1943.
Pavel Petrovich Sokolov-Skalia. Iasnaia Poliana, Istra, and Klin, 1941. Natzis loot and destroy cultural sites including the homes of Tolstoy, Checkov, andTchaikovsky.
Deeply interesting is the relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States as depicted in the posters. Initially, the US is seen as a greedy, capitalist state in comparison to the hardworking and righteous Soviets. Yet the artwork eventually celebrates the alliance of the USSR, United States, and Great Britain to a degree which I hadn’t previously seen. My Russian friend was also surprised by the unbridled acclamation of the Allies’ role: “That was no longer in the history books by the time I went to school.”
Nikolai Fedorovich Denisovskii. Victory!, May 12, 1945. “May this day remain through the ages a union of friendship, glory, and valor! The Fascist beast is forever turned to ash. Victory has come! And in her hands the flags of the free peoples proudly wave. The world has never seen such victories. Honor to our heroes! Greetings to our Allies!“
While made of stencils and paint, the 250 posters of Windows on the War offer a rich and provocative glimpse into the Soviet perspective during World War II. While only a small collection of the posters, produced with cheap and accessible wartime supplies, has survived, several were actually discovered stuffed into a closet at The Art Institute in 1997. Back on display as intended, their intricate detailing and coloration, their expression, have not faded with time. The work of these wartime artists is a tangible reminder of the debt of gratitude owed to history’s soldiers, both brush and bayonet, and the incomparable power of art.
You admire Chicago’s renowned architecture everyday as you jog the Lakefront trail, ride the El, or stroll your neighborhood streets. Yet how many of its famous buildings have you been able to view from the inside? This weekend, the Chicago Architecture Foundation is offering an insider’s tour of your city.
Open House Chicago is a weekend of free behind-the-scenes access to over 100 of the city’s architectural and cultural sites. Visit the green roof of the CTA headquarters, view the skyline from the top of the original Sears Tower, admire the Art Deco murals of the Chicago Motor Club, or check out the sky-high private pool and gardens of Lake Point Tower. Running from 9am to 5 pm on October 15 – 16, the event offers the opportunity to tour private sites of architectural significance, like the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Emil Bach House, and to experience neighborhood landmarks, like being wrapped in a sari at Devon Avenue’s Sari Sapne or watching a shrimp shelling at The Fish Keg in Rogers Park.
Create your personalized itinerary by registering on the Open House Chicago website and browsing the interactive site map. There are five featured community areas throughout the city with designated hubs, with convenient access to public transportation and free shuttle services. “Green Trail” designates Chicago sites featuring advancements in sustainable design.
A city’s architecture – its skyline, design, and function, is a reflection of the city itself – its foundation, future progress, and its citizens. Chicago is open this weekend, won’t you come inside?
“I have always believed that great design doesn’t have to come with a high price tag or require a professional degree,” says Design*Sponge founder Grace Bonney in the introduction of her new book. Indeed, the decor inspiration and DIY website has grown from Grace’s “outlet to express my love of design and decorating” to a design mecca where 75,000 of the faithful pilgrimage daily seeking aesthetic awakening. After founding a national meetup series for women in design businesses and an annual scholarship for art and design students, Grace has given her fans more to love, delivering the long-requested book.
Design*Sponge at Home is a nearly 400-page collection of home tours, design tips and history, and DIY project tutorials that captures, “the same sort of excitement, inspiration, and motivation that we strive for online.” Grace’s 30-city book tour stopped in Chicago last night for a craft event and signing at the State Street Anthropologie store. Those who missed her pre-event craft workshop on creating a wax stamp seal can find the instructions in the book, of course, on page 213. Prosecco and cider, delectable little cupcakes, and legions of Anthro’s lovely things made the event all the more enchanting.
After years of enjoying Design*Sponge on a daily basis, it was great to meet the woman behind the blog. “I say at least a few times a year that if it wasn’t for the winter, I would pack up and move to Chicago in a heartbeat,” Grace mentioned on the event posting. “It’s one of my favorite cities, and there hasn’t been a trip when I haven’t left feeling a little sad that I have to go.”
When I asked her favorite spots in the city, Grace was kind enough to share her Chicago go-tos. “Scout is one of my favorite stores in the city, as well as Jayson Home. Eating at Blackbird is always fantastic, and Lula Cafe is a great little place in Logan Square. I absolutely love Sprout Home, and I love Tara” [Sprout Home owner Tara Heibel’s home tour is featured on page 102].
Design*Sponge at Home is yet another delightful reminder that design can and should be accessible, personal, and enjoyable, all of which I found reflected in authoress Grace Bonney. The book is a trove of décor information and ideas that I can’t wait to soak up.
I like it in the city when the air is so thick and opaque. I love it to see everybody in short skirts shorts and shades. I like it in the city when two worlds collide. - Adele
Enjoy basking in the last eruption of summer weather and take note of your sunny day favorites. You’ll need them to keep warm during the nation’s worst winter.
A proud white dome gleams along Lake Michigan, surpassing the surrounding treetops and suburban manses. The magnificent structure feels out-of-place, calling to mind faraway lands…India, Narnia. Yet she stands on Chicago’s North Shore.
I don’t often venture to Chicago’s suburbs. I’m no Illinois native, so aside from the occasional IKEA spree, why would I leave the city to visit [insert adjective] Dale/Forest/Glen/Grove/Lake? Lest we forget, an open mind and ready eye are explorers’ keenest tools, as some of the world’s greatest beauty lies in the unexpected.
So I find myself in a downpour thirty minutes outside of the city, gripping the slick railing as I avoid slipping on the many steps approaching the opulent temple, my gaze distracted by its grandeur. The Bahá’í House of Worship in Wilmette is one of only seven Bahá’í temples in the world, and the only one in North America.
The Bahá’í’s core beliefs promote the unity of humanity and of all world religions. Completed in 1953, the temple is open for all people to worship in song or quiet meditation. All existing Bahá’í temples feature a series of outdoor gardens and fountains in addition to a nine-sided shape, as the number nine symbolizes perfection in the Bahá’í faith. The Bahá’í House of Worship for North America’s design radiates a powerful presence. Stately, white, and trim, it is ornate without being overwrought – devoid of any design elements save the intertwining of religious symbols from many faiths that weave up lean columns 138 feet toward the dome’s center. The tracery of the dome is breathtaking; made of the same strong blended concrete as the rest of the temple, yet interwoven as delicate lace. The grand space never feels imposing, and the open, meditative auditorium offers a welcoming serenity.
My first visit to the Bahá’í temple is as a wedding guest. Since speaking is not permitted inside the auditorium, nor is photography, the couple grabs umbrellas and head outdoors despite the downpour. Rich voices are heard over the thunderous rain as first a man and then a woman sing a Bahá’í hymns. The simple ceremony’s only requirement is that the Bahá’í wedding vow be recited: “We will all, verily, abide by the will of God.”
A visitor’s center beneath the auditorium offers a multi-media array of information on the building the Bahá’í House of Worship for North America and on the history of the Bahá’í faith. It’s incredible to learn that I am standing in the oldest surviving such temple, a place of pilgrimage from all over the world (not to mention one of the Seven Wonders of Illinois), and that place is in the suburbs. I am so grateful for having the opportunity to share in the warmth and receptivity of the members of the Bahá’í faith, and to visit the House of Worship. It is a refreshing reminder to embody the Bahá’í tenets of unity and openness in everyday interactions and to look beyond the everyday in explorations.
“I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.” - Swami Vivekananda
On September 11, 1893, Swami Vivekananda expressed his message of unity and tolerance in an address at First World Parliament of Religions. Held in what is now the Art Institute’s Fullerton Hall, the Parliament was held in conjunction with the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Steps away from where his speech was delivered, Vivekananda’s words are memorialized in Public Notice 3, an art installation by Jitish Kallat.
Kallat’s work displays the text of the speech in LED displays on the steps of the magnificent Woman’s Board Grand Staircase. As a juxtaposition to the transcendent message of Vivekananda’s address and a reflection on the events of September 11, 2001, its text is displayed in alternating colors of the Department of Homeland Security alert system.
Today is the closing date of Public Notice 3, which has been on display since September 11, 2010. The Art Institute will also offering visitors a place for reflection on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 in Fullerton Hall, the site of the Parliament and its message of religious respect worldwide. As we remember the anniversary of 9/11, let Kallat’s powerful installation be a reminder that while there is much ground to be covered in the path toward tolerance, the first steps must begin with us.
