Mayakovsky illustrated in ROSTA Posters: "We worked for history and glory"

July 19, 2019 marks 126 years since the birth of Vladimir Mayakovsky, one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, who made a claim about himself as a playwright, scriptwriter, director, actor, artist, publicist and editor. The Presidential Library’s e-collection “Vladimir Mayakovsky (1893–1930)” contains digital copies of the first editions of the poet’s works: the tragedy “Vladimir Mayakovsky”, published in 1914, the play “Mystery-Bouffe”, written for the anniversary of the October Revolution, and the collected works of the poet “Everything written by Vladimir Mayakovsky. 1909-1919”. The collection includes satirical works of the poet, in particular the magazine publication of the enchanting comedy “Klop”, the book of poems “Mayakovsky mocks”, as well as an example of social advertising - the brochure “Vaughn Samoghon!”.

The collection provides critical articles, obituaries on the death of Mayakovsky, portraits of the poet and images of monuments in his honor. Abstracts of research papers that explore various aspects of the poet’s oeuvre and other materials allow us to form an idea of ​​the genuine Mayakovsky, whose personality does not fit into the generally accepted canonical framework.

Let us take at least an electronic album of agitation and satirical posters “Terrible Laughter. ROSTA Posters” - the result of the cooperation between Mayakovsky and the Russian Telegraph Agency; The album was published for the 10th anniversary of the legendary “ROSTA Posters” in 1932.

In the preface to the album under the heading "I am asking for words..." the most accurate, author's "report" on the work done is given by Vladimir Vladimirovich himself. “This, - Mayakovsky writes, - is the protocol record of the most difficult three-year anniversary of the revolutionary struggle, transmitted by spots of color and the sound of slogans. This is my part of a huge campaign – ROSTA Posters. Let the lyrics recall the lyric verses they fell in love with. We are pleased to recall the lines under which Denikin left Orel”.

Years passed by - and the topical once “Posters” began to be treated as an antique rarity. “Now, with a decade of work in Rostov”, - continues Mayakovsky, “the State Tretyakov Gallery, newspapers, magazines curiously and enthusiastically pick up, glue and look at the scraps of hand painted sheets... The satire posters were made in one copy and hung out in the shop windows and windows of empty shops, further reproduced with a stencil sometimes up to 100–150 copies, dispersed through the windows of propaganda points. Only about nine hundred names in Moscow alone. Leningrad, Baku, Saratov began to open their windows”.

The range of topics was enormous: campaigning for the Comintern and collecting mushrooms for the hungry, fighting Wrangel and electrifying...

The electronic copy of Victor Pertsov’s book “Mayakovsky-Patriot” (1941) from the Presidential Library’s collections shows the “essence” of “ROSTA Posters”, the pace of work and the nature of which Mayakovsky dictated.

Mayakovky’s satirical cycle of poems is closely associated with the work in the field of infographics, as they would call now social advertising "ROSTA Posters”.

The creative universe of Mayakovsky did not involve dividing into “low” and “high” genres, with the same obsession he tried himself in many art workshops, invariably setting global social goals and leading his lyrical hero through all the deeply personal aspects, through which inevitably man passes.