Illustration to Aleksander Blok's poem 'The Twelve' 1918

Editor: This is Jury Annenkov's illustration for Aleksander Blok's poem 'The Twelve,' created in 1918 using pen and ink. It strikes me as incredibly tense, even chaotic, a far cry from simple portraiture. What undercurrents do you perceive in this work? Curator: Ah, a plunge into the turbulent heart of revolutionary Russia. To me, this drawing isn't merely an illustration; it's a raw, visceral response to Blok's poem, a poem already soaked in the anxieties of a nation mid-transformation. See how Annenkov uses jagged lines, fracturing the image, echoing the social and political fragmentation of the time. And that insistent use of ink… does it not remind you of ink spilled across history itself? Editor: Definitely, it's almost aggressive in its simplicity. What about the figures themselves? Are they meant to represent something specific? Curator: Perhaps. It would be imprudent to state definitively as to what each component of a larger image symbolizes; nevertheless, in my understanding they do represent types, archetypes maybe of that tumultuous time. A certain desperation seems palpable in the air surrounding these figures and motifs: do you catch that, too? I see shadows of the future, in that room. Editor: I think so, it's like everyone is suspended at that precise moment of great change. Almost, in anticipation. Curator: Precisely. Blok’s poem itself portrays the moral ambiguity of the revolution, where violence and idealism walk hand-in-hand. Annenkov captures that very essence. It’s fascinating how he doesn’t shy away from depicting that complexity, instead plunges directly towards it with all lines blazing. Editor: So it’s less a depiction and more of a… distillation of a feeling? Curator: Exactly. Perhaps that's the magic here. And sometimes that makes you wonder, how else one could create more illustrations? Maybe even with your own interpretations, hm? Editor: This has certainly helped me understand the piece much better! It is a real representation of its cultural setting in the midst of immense change!