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

Editor: This is Jury Annenkov’s Illustration to Aleksander Blok's poem 'The Twelve', made in 1918 using ink and pen. It’s quite striking…almost jarring. What's your take on this piece? Curator: Look at the rawness of the ink. Annenkov isn’t just depicting a scene, he’s showing us the very process, the immediacy of creation. It challenges the notion of refined artistic skill, doesn't it? Consider too the context: 1918 Russia, revolution… This isn’t art for art’s sake; it’s a document reflecting the anxieties and social upheaval. What labor, or what kinds of labor, might be implied here? Editor: I see what you mean. It feels deliberately unpolished, almost like reportage. Is it a comment on traditional art being out of touch? Curator: Precisely! The materiality screams revolution. The disposable nature of ink on paper mirrors the perceived disposability of the old order, as well as new printmaking technologies that allowed distribution of avant-garde political posters to a mass public, many of whom may have seen such images for the first time. Editor: So, the choice of materials itself is a statement? Curator: Absolutely. It democratizes art. It questions who gets to create and consume art. It’s less about aesthetic beauty and more about a raw, immediate expression of societal change using what was available and convenient to disseminate images widely. Consider who could access paints or sculpture versus pen and paper. What possibilities opened with cheaper materials? Editor: That’s fascinating! I never considered the social impact of the materials themselves. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. The "how" and "why" something is made tells us just as much, if not more, than the "what."