Xenia Bogouslavskaia

(1892 - 1971)

3624

Vladimir Mayakovskii

Герои и жертвы революции

Heroes and victims of the revolution

Petrograd: Izogis, [1918]

355 x 257 mm. 20 pages

Edition: unknown

A simple portfolio contains 19 sheets of thin paper. The quality of paper and print was the result of the shortage of almost everything in the first years after the revolution. Ingredients as paper, ink and the like were hard to come by. Nevertheless, artists were able to arrange some printing as is the case in this publication. The portfolio was designed by Jean Pougny (Ivan Puni), his wife Xenia Bogouslavskaia and the artists Kozlinskii and Maklovets. Maiakovskii provided the texts for each portrait. It was the artists’ commemoration of the first year of the revolution. They created 9 portraits of heroes and 9 of victims of the revolution. The victims were not so much suffering from the revolution as from their personal history. They were therefore depicted as adversaries more than victims. The first hero, the worker and the third victim, the mistress were designed by Pougny. The contrast in design underlines the differences between heroes and victims. The mechanic was a design by Bogouslavskaia. The artists were close to the futurists as is demonstrated by the portrait of the mechanic. He is depicted as a hero because he stands as a supporter and a symbol of speed and progression.

References:

Berninger 1972,  p.108

Ex Libris 1977, nr. 171

New York 1989, p. 24.

Berlin 1993, p. 209

Munich 1993, nr. 62

Bologna 1993, p. 102

Getty 1997, nr. 507

Lavrentev 2000, p. 150

Hellyer 2006, nr. 404

Princeton Digital Library