Poster for the Abrikosov Company 1898

Editor: So, here we have Wassily Kandinsky's "Poster for the Abrikosov Company" from 1898, a commercial graphic, and honestly, the overall vibe feels like a wonderfully quirky fairytale illustration. What captures your attention when you look at this? Curator: Oh, what a gem! It feels like Kandinsky’s dipping his toe into a world of pure imagination – far removed from the stern realities of commerce. The peculiar landscape wrapping around the advertisement is strangely dreamlike. It's like someone whispered, "Advertise chocolate... but make it Oz!" Don’t you get that impression? Editor: Definitely. It’s like the chocolate itself promises a trip to an imaginary world! Do you think he’s playing with Symbolist ideas at all here, considering it’s right at the cusp of his abstract period? Curator: Absolutely! Symbolism thrives in the colours, the deliberate naiveté. He's not selling just chocolate; he’s selling a feeling, a little escapism, bottled into each delicious bite. But it also has the brash, in-your-face boldness of early advertising... Imagine seeing this plastered across Moscow! How utterly charming and perplexing it must have been! Don't you think it would have stood out, amidst the usual advertising clutter? Editor: Totally. The hand-lettering, especially, is really distinctive and doesn't read as explicitly commercial to modern eyes. But the fact that he embeds this fantastical landscape around the text itself... What does that say about his approach to advertising as an art form? Curator: He's bending it, playing with the rules, suggesting it doesn't have to be a shout, it can be a whisper...a captivating visual riddle that just happens to be selling "Extra" chocolate. Who wouldn't want a piece of that painted dream, really? It's utterly disarming. Editor: This poster gives me so much food for thought... maybe literally! Thanks! Curator: The pleasure was all mine, truly! I see now a new flavour when enjoying chocolates: A burst of colour and a little bit of fantastical Russian avant-garde.