Knowra Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge A 1919 lithograph by El Lissitzky showing a red wedge piercing a white circle, a geometric allegory of the Bolsheviks’ victory over the anti-communist White movement.
El Lissitzky : A Russian avant-garde artist, architect, and designer who helped develop Suprematism and Constructivism. He made the lithograph and translated revolutionary politics into geometric form.
Russian Civil War : The conflict fought from 1917 to 1922 among the Bolsheviks, anti-Bolshevik forces, and other groups in the former Russian Empire. The lithograph represents the Bolsheviks’ struggle against the White movement within this war.
Agitprop : Political communication combining agitation and propaganda to mobilize public opinion and action. The image exemplifies concise visual persuasion serving a revolutionary political program.
The Bolshevik : A 1920 silent film by Alexander Ivanov-Gai about the Russian Revolution and its aftermath. The film narrates revolutionary events through characters rather than abstract geometric symbols.
Suprematism : An abstract art movement founded by Kazimir Malevich, centered on basic geometric forms and limited color. Its geometric vocabulary shaped the image’s wedge, circle, and stark color contrast.
Russian Revolution : The upheavals of 1917 that ended imperial rule in Russia and brought the Bolsheviks to power. The revolution created the political order the lithograph seeks to defend.
Soviet propaganda : Communication produced by Soviet institutions to promote state policies, ideology, and political mobilization. The lithograph belongs to the early Soviet effort to rally support against its enemies.
The Third of May 1808 : An 1814 painting by Francisco Goya depicting French forces executing Spanish civilians during the Peninsular War. Goya shows political violence through human bodies and emotion, unlike Lissitzky’s abstraction.
Constructivism : An artistic movement that treated art as a practical instrument for shaping modern society. The poster’s direct political purpose anticipates Constructivism’s public, utilitarian art.
White movement : A diverse anti-Bolshevik coalition that fought the Red forces during the Russian Civil War. The white circle stands for the opponents targeted by the red wedge.
Show all 21