Cover for 'Alarm Clock' Magazine 1917

Alexander Khvostenko-Khvostov created this cover for 'Alarm Clock' magazine in Russia. The cartoon speaks to power relationships between the peasantry and the state. The artist visualizes the state as a large, dark, winged figure looming over a peasant in a field. The letters "K" and "A" on the wings may allude to the word “Kulak” which was the term used for wealthier peasants who were often seen as enemies of the Soviet state. The image uses the visual code of the grotesque to dehumanize the figure of authority, implying a critique of the regime's treatment of the peasantry. This cartoon is a valuable source for understanding the tensions and anxieties of early Soviet Russia, especially given the ways that the state controlled the distribution of images. To understand it fully, one should delve into the archives of Soviet-era publications and study the history of agricultural policy. Through such research, we can grasp the social conditions that shaped artistic production.