Patriotic propaganda postcard with verse by Vladimir Mayakovsky

The Patriotic propaganda postcard with verse by Vladimir Mayakovsky was created by Kazimir Malevich in 1914, coinciding with the outbreak of the First World War. Classified formally as an illustrated book component, the work utilizes the lithograph medium, a technique perfectly suited for mass production and widespread distribution of ephemera during this critical historical period. This piece holds immense cultural significance, demonstrating how major figures of the Russian avant-garde deployed modern artistic styles to support state-sponsored nationalist messaging.

Malevich, already a foundational figure in Russian modernism before his definitive shift to Suprematism, contributed actively to the war effort by designing several series of these accessible propaganda prints. The composition features a dynamic blend of simplified Cubo-Futurist forms, characteristic of 1914 Russian artistic experimentation, translating complex visual ideas into immediate, effective communication. The visual design is paired with verse contributed by the influential Futurist poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, underscoring a strategic collaboration between leading intellectual and artistic minds to bolster public morale. Such illustrated prints were crucial tools for quickly and broadly circulating specific pro-war narratives across the vast Russian populace.

As a lithograph created early in the conflict, this postcard represents a key phase in Malevich’s career before his complete turn toward non-objective abstraction. The classification as an Illustrated Book highlights the nature of these works as sequential, often unbound prints intended for immediate, disposable use rather than permanent display. Today, this important historical example of Russian wartime illustration resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Due to its age and critical historical context, high-quality images and prints of this 1914 propaganda piece are frequently available through public domain resources, allowing researchers worldwide to study the intersection of early twentieth-century art and political communication.