Gendered Bodies on Soviet Posters, 1917-1924
The Visual Representation of Backwardness
In this essay, I explore the visual representation of women’s backwardness in the Soviet Revolution. I ask how early Soviet artists conveyed this backwardness – especially as synonymous not only with ignorance, but also with “darkness” and a lack of revolutionary consciousness. How did they compose posters for the masses in those early years of Soviet power, especially during the extensive civil and national wars of 1917-1921? How and why was gender such an important part of that visual imagery?
