Images of Revolution

by David King, Catherine Porter

More clearly than any party resolution or government proclamation, the graphic art and caricatures from the Russian Revolution of 1905 tell the story of the heroic failure of that rebellion, and chronicle with incredible vividness the moment of transition from tsarist despotism to Bolshevik revolution. For a few brief months before the1905 upheaval was smashed, at least 380 satirical journals flooded the streets of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, speaking with a rage that neither arrest nor exile could suppress. The tsar, his ministers, the government, the church, the army; the journals constantly expanded their territory and their targets, demolishing one victim after another and thriving on the massive censorship intended to silence them. An explosive underground language of popular protest emerged, veiled in symbol and allegory. But it was the drawings and cartoons, swiftly and brilliantly executed by some of Russia's leading artists, that gave these journals their extraordinary power. Seven-headed monsters, rivers of blood, death stalking, the barricades--their impact was overwhelming, and the names of the journals were shouted throughout Arrows! Vampire! Machine Gun! Storm! Hell-Post! Freedom! never before seen in the West, these images are a stunning testimony to a world-renowned tradition of Russian graphic and political art.

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Traces the origins of satire and (as a result) censorship from the time of Katherine the Great, as well as how it shaped consciousness. Briefly details the strikes, protests and massacres that made up 1905. Contains excerpts and images from the journals that operated (380 registered with the censor 1905-6 though more operated).
I was worried it was purely depressing and macabre but understanding that this was a radical way of documenting the horrors of class rule, and spread opposition to it, made it really cool and inspiring.