Russian Film Posters: 1900-1930

This volume, based on rarely seen Russian archives, traces the history of the silent film poster in Russia, starting with a poster designed by Paul Assaturov ('Stenka Razin', 1908) in the style of ancient naive Russian imagery to the latest advertise- ment for a silent movie by Yuri Pimenov from 1934. Full-page reproductions of 161 Russian silent film posters are presented here in chronological order- from the very beginning of the 20th century until the 1930s. These film posters are unique in their approach to representing films, creating new and original images- more evocative than descriptive. The movie is depicted through the use of expressive typography, geometric forms, minimalist illustrations and their distinctive technique of recreating photographs by hand. Works by famous artists of the time such as Alexander Rodchenko, the Stenberg Brothers, Yakov Ruklevsky, Nikolai Prusakov, Alexander Naumov and others are featured. After the Russian revolution in 1917 and the establishment of the Soviet Union in 1922, cinema played an important role in the dissemination of propaganda for the new regime.
A large number of Russian movies were produced during the 1920s and early 1930s, and there was also an increase in films imported from other countries. Advertising posters played a major role to attract large audiences. The book reveals the strong influence of modernist art movements such as constructivism and Dadaism on these art works.