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Lot 115

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KORETSKY, V. The Sacred Flame of a Mother's Love .

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Svyashenny ogon' materinskoy lyubvi voodushevlyaet trudyashikhsya zhenshin na bor'bu za svetloye budusheye [The Sacred Flame of a Mother's Love Inspires Working Women in Their Struggle for the Bright Future], a poster by Viktor Koretsky (1909-1998, Meritorious Artist of the Russian Federation). Published by Sovetskaya Rossiya, Moscow, 1953. 104.5 x 67 cm.

A clever, powerful, and even daring for its times poster. The artist had to cover a multitude of loosely related topics (the Korean War, the peace movement in the West, State support for Soviet mothers with infants) and to tie them together in a logical fashion. A lesser artist would have attacked the problem directly and produced a safe and dull poster.

Koretsky's approach is far more nuanced. To trigger an emotional response, he evokes the archetypal image of a tripartite Madonna icon (or maybe a medieval Madonna painting, a safe substitute for an icon in the country of militant atheism). This is achieved by dividing the poster into three panes (a format totally atypical for the artist's general body of work), and even more directly by composing a Madonna-like central figure of a young Soviet mother with child. Visual references are further reinforced by the use of the word "sacred" in the title.

An exceptional work that confirms Koretsky's reputation as one of the great masters of the genre.

Search extension words / key tags: Russian poster, Soviet propaganda.

Condition reports are available on request, please contact us if you have any questions. A high resolution pdf format catalog is available for download at our website.;

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