Gustav Klutsis, Raise the banner of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin, 1937

by Atelier Liesjes

Stalin's image was built on the foundations of the Lenin cult. Stalin positioned himself as a great Marxist theorist and revolutionary thinker, alongside Marx, Engels and Lenin. Posters were one way a formulaic and seductive biography was created for Stalin, portrayed as the nation's savior, legitimate successor and wise man. After Lenin's death in 1924, the effectiveness of propaganda increased and all artistic and cultural production was controlled; state control was strengthened with the goal of creating a unified Bolshevik vision and Communist goals.

This important poster was distributed throughout the Soviet Union, and in this case the banner is in the Karakalpak language, the official language of Uzbekistan. In the pictures, the communist leaders look sideways, but Stalin is the only one looking straight at the viewer. This artistic choice is important because it magnifies Stalin. Marx, Engels and Lenin look slightly to the right toward the new leader, and the entire poster is surrounded by pictures of people from all nations at peace, unity and prosperity.

Gustav Klutsis (Latvian: Gustavs Klucis) (January 4, 1895 - February 26, 1938) was a pioneering Latvian photographer and an important member of the constructivist avant-garde in the early 20th century. He is known for the Soviet revolutionary and Stalinist propaganda he produced with his wife Valentina Kulagina.