The state-run Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia controlled all aspects of artistic life, right down to the distribution of paint brushes. Under orders from the Soviet state, they turned art into a production line in the service of a promised Socialist utopia.

First, artists created rough sketches. The sketches were then passed to technicians who cut out stencils of each design. Depending on the number of colours in each poster, between 12 and 65 stencils were used. An assembly line of workers would then place each stencil on the paper, add a layer of colour, before it was passed to the next worker on the production line. Most sketches and stencils were thrown out after the poster was created. The ones that survive today are rare, and highly sought after.

Western fear of Communism had been growing since the Russian revolution, and by the close of World War 2, the uneasy peace between the Western superpowers and the Soviet Union was faltering. The state used propaganda posters as a vehicle to disseminate communist ideology and promote their world view.

But sometimes one poster wasn’t enough to communicate a message. Soviet artists regularly created diptychs and triptychs more than two metres in length to be hung on the walls of factories and government buildings. With their stark simplicity and bold colours, diptych and triptych propaganda posters were a part of the texture of everyday life in the Soviet Union, and reflect the officially approved history as it was experienced by its citizens.

In the Soviet Union, theatre was controlled by the state. Theatre wasn’t just entertainment, it taught the audience to think, to read between the lines. The characters portrayed were common Soviet citizens, while the ideas conveyed were based on honesty, modesty, and the the common good.

The state turned to artists to come up with posters to advertise plays and theatre productions. They are often characterised by bright colours and hidden symbolism.

As the dust of WWII settled, Germany was split in two. A wall separated the western side from the Soviet sponsored German Democratic Republic. Berlin’s famous Zoological Gardens were on the west side of the wall, out of reach for the citizens of East Germany. On the former grounds of Friedrichsfelde Palace, the East German state created a rival to the Zoological Gardens, Tierpark.

With more than 120 species including Siberian tigers and Asian elephants, Tierpark was the GDR’s crown jewel. Prominent East German artists like Horst Naumann and Rerner Zeigert were enlisted to create advertising posters for the new zoo. The famous posters depict the animals of the zoo and are characterised by bright colours and simple composition.

Industrialisation of the Soviet economy was one of Stalin’s top priorities. A modern, industrial USSR would have economic independence from capitalist countries. But, machines, electricity, hot iron, sharp tools were a major threat for the “new era” workers. Poor safety standards and a largely illiterate population meant workplace accidents were commonplace.

The state commissioned artists to create visual and often violent safety posters for the walls of factories. Bright colours and striking graphics were a common theme of the posters which were developed in the hopes of communicating to an often illiterate population. Safety posters advised workers to wear safety glasses, not to touch live wires, and to avoid putting fingers in front of blades.

The USSR and the USA both considered the other to be the aggressor. Soviet artists regularly created posters that advocated for the peaceful exploration of outer space or peace to the children of the world.

With their stark simplicity and bold colours, peace propaganda posters were a part of the texture of everyday life in the Soviet Union, and reflect the official Soviet position as the peaceful superpower.