Our One Thousandth Blow (TASS Poster 1000)

ClassificationsPrinted Materials-advertisements

Artist Pavel Sokolov-Kumach

Artist Nikolai Denisovskii

Author Vasilii Lebedev-Kumach

Publisher Tass News Agency

DateJune 5, 1944

Made AtMoscow, Moscow Oblast, Russia, Europe

MediumHand-painted stencil on paper

Dimensions49 1/4 × 62 3/4 in. (125.1 × 159.4 cm)

Credit LineBowers Museum Collection

Object number2019.14.6

DescriptionTitled “Our One Thousandth Blow” the poster was made on June 5, 1944 by artists Pavel Sokolov-Skalia Nikolai and Federovich Denisovskii with text by Vasilli Lebedev-Kumach. During the Second World War Skalia served as artistic director for the TASS studios. He was one of their most prolific artists completing approximately 200 posters. Denisovskii was one of the founders of the Moscow TASS editorial office and served as its director from 1941 to 1946. Previously his work was in satirical magazines and he cofounded one of the first Constructivist groups, the Society of Young Artists. Lebedev-Kumach served as a naval officer during the war while also writing many songs and poems for the daily press, satirical magazines, and the TASS studio. The TASS News Agency, a Soviet government owned company originally formed in 1904, was the sole news outlet that had authority to gather and control information throughout the Soviet Union. The poster depicts the dehumanization of Hitler by giving him goblin-like features (sharp, pointed teeth, sharp claw-like hands, long nose and ears, etc.). There is a contrasted black background behind the image of Hitler and bright yellow background behind Red Army soldiers threatening him with bayonets and writing utensils.Text discusses how important the pen and cultural/artistic elements are to the defeat of the Germans. Dimensionality caused by pigment sitting on top of paper rather than in a printed poster. The poster was made on short-fibered pulp paper; similar to newspaper quality, and then a stencil cut out was used to individually paint each copy by hand. Any additional pieces were glued on top of each copy.

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