Promotional poster for Rezinotrest 1923

Alexander Rodchenko made this promotional poster for Rezinotrest, a rubber manufacturing trust, and it’s got a killer palette of red, green and black offset by white. Look at that smiley face, constructed with some unusual shapes. I can only imagine Rodchenko playing with these geometric forms, shifting them around, maybe even making a collage first? He was interested in production of all kinds, and he brought that sensibility into play here. The cartoon-like character is constructed from the products the trust manufactures, and the teeth are rows of pacifiers! I’m guessing he's trying to create a modern and visually arresting design that would capture the attention of the Soviet public. I'm sure the message is as powerful as the image itself. It's got a certain charm and strangeness, and it's a reminder that artists are always experimenting, pushing boundaries, and trying to come up with new ways of seeing, thinking, and living.