Patriotic propaganda postcard with verse by Vladimir Mayakovsky

The Patriotic propaganda postcard with verse by Vladimir Mayakovsky is a powerful example of wartime graphic art, created by Kazimir Malevich in 1914. This lithograph belongs to a significant series of Russian propaganda materials produced immediately following the outbreak of World War I. The object, classified as an Illustrated Book due to its common grouping with similar printed ephemera, represents a crucial moment when avant-garde artists and poets collaborated to support the national military effort. The work marries the visual storytelling of the future Suprematist master with the compelling, polemical text supplied by Futurist poet Vladimir Mayakovsky.

During 1914, Malevich produced dozens of these designs, adopting a graphic style rooted in traditional Russian lubok folk prints. This choice utilized simple, bold outlines and direct composition to ensure maximum clarity and impact across various social strata. These widely distributed prints and postcards served as essential tools for generating public morale and unity during the early, tumultuous stages of the war. The visual clarity found in this piece stands in stark contrast to the abstract geometric forms that would dominate Malevich’s output just a few years later, highlighting his stylistic flexibility and willingness to engage directly with contemporary socio-political events.

The fusion of Malevich's image-making prowess with Mayakovsky’s accompanying verses underscores the widespread mobilization of the Russian creative community. This propaganda piece is significant both as a historical artifact of 1914 Russian culture and as an important, albeit illustrative, phase of Malevich's artistic development. Given its purpose as a mass-produced item, the original lithograph has inspired numerous reproductions and contemporary prints, many of which are now widely accessible in the public domain. This historic work is preserved in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), recognizing its importance as a pivotal document of early 20th-century political illustration.