Drinking Destroys Knowledge and Education

Alexander Mykhailovych Kurilovich, 1970s

Medium: Oil/card
Dimensions /: 55 H x 35 W
Country: Russian SFSR
Condition: B | Fine - Minor signs of wear

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“Drinking Destroys Knowledge and Education” (1970s) by Alexander Mykhailovych Kurilovich aligns with Brezhnev‑era campaigns to curb alcohol’s corrosive impact on Soviet education and values. Painted as a preliminary oil sketch at Agitplakat Dona, it’s one of the few drafts to survive a system that routinely destroyed its preparatory work.

The composition centers on a single, haunting figure. His eyes vanish behind cognac‑branded glasses, a cigarette hangs from his lips. Below him, an overturned cognac glass drenches a stack of textbooks—"Philosophy", "Ethics", "Physics". The spreading liquid invades the pages, a vivid metaphor for alcohol’s assault on intellect and socialist ideals.

Rendered in a tight green‑and‑grey palette, the sketch leans on stark value contrasts. Flat planes of colour and simplified forms recall Constructivist rigor, while high‑contrast values ensure the image reads clearly at a distance—essential for poster reproduction. Kurilovich’s economy of technique drives the message home with brutal clarity.

Alexander Mykhailovych Kurilovich (1928–2007) trained at Rostov Art College (1946–51) and the Kharkov Art Institute (1951–57). A member of the Union of Artists of the USSR, he founded the Agitplakat Dona workshop in 1978 and spent his career creating political, agricultural, and satirical posters.