I walked into the room and was immediate struck by the enormity and completeness of the exhibit condensed into one space. At first I wondered why it wasn’t spaced out into several rooms, but the effect was exactly what I think they’d envisioned. It wasn’t about any particular individual piece, but about the idea as a whole (though I did have some favorites). Presenting the pieces all together allowed me to jump from piece to piece and notice the similarities between them. So many different styles were used, from illustration, photography, drawing, typographical – yet none of them felt out of place.

From the Tate Modern website:

The ideals and illusions of the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union are reflected in this display of street posters.

“Ten Days that Shook the World” was how the American journalist John Reed described the 1917 October Revolution. The disasters of the First World War had led to the collapse of the Tsar’s autocracy. Promising peace and the re-distribution of land, Lenin’s Bolshevik Party seized power. Supported by militant soldiers, workers and peasants, they declared the world’s first Communist state.

To win support for their ideas, the Bolsheviks took control of the printing presses. Despite a shortage of supplies and equipment, they rapidly produced newspapers, leaflets and posters. This proliferation of colourful propaganda posters transformed towns and cities, creating a street art available to all. The continual renewal of images, as well as multiple copies pasted up together, reinforced the fundamental messages of communal power and solidarity. Lenin and the Bolshevik leaders were portrayed as heroically unifying, while their enemies in the Civil War were reviled.

After Stalin became leader in 1927, the propaganda machine promoted the collectivisation of land and the drive for industrialisation, oblivious to the terrible hardships caused by these policies. Stalin’s benevolent image was everywhere, but it barely masked the terror of the show-trials and executions that blighted the 1930s. The revolutionary fervour conveyed through the early posters now enforced a repressive dictatorship.

The ideas and illusions conveyed in these posters were far from reality. However, the posters themselves became part of the texture of everyday life in the Soviet Union, and reflect the officially approved history as it was experienced by its citizens.

The posters featured the color red prominently, reinforcing the influence and power of “The Red Army”.

As a form of street art, these posters were designed to engage everyday citizens with powerful imagery and cultivate a certain perception of political leaders. The last decade or so has seen a resurgence of this style both for political propaganda and general art inspiration. What makes this form of art so powerful (if done correctly) is that you are influenced by it regardless of whether you know its purpose. It has both a psychological effect from repetition and consistency, and it transforms people and ideas into icons. Grassroots movements love icons, as they give supporters something visual and memorable to identify with. And there’s no denying that designers and artists love icons. Political propaganda is a communication artform, there’s no reason it needs to be crappy. In fact, there’s myriad reasons why it should be thoughtfully considered.

If you happen to be in London in the near future, be sure to stop by the Tate Modern. It won’t disappoint.

Obama posters (1 & 2) by Shepard Fairey

He’s one of the only arists I know that use Corel Painter for a majority of work, which just goes to show that Photoshop isn’t the only player in the game. I tried using Corel Painter awhile back and it just seemed quite a bit less polished and intuitive than I was used to. Granted, it caters to a bit different audience. He also uses Zbrush for 3d figures and manipulation. One of his signature techniques seems to be taking a shape/pattern/image of some sort and creating a brush out of it, which is then painted and manipulated into flowing strokes and wrapped textures.

Conceptually, it kind of reminds me of a photo mosaic. If you zoom in really close, you’ll see a whole lot of attention to detail that is interesting in itself – nearly every object in the piece is covered with painted textures of geometric shapes or flowing lines or some other detail. But the main image only really becomes apparent when you step back and view it as a whole. I’d love to have a massive detailed print of his covering a wall of my office – so much detail to explore.

Another interesting aspect of Jones’ work is the live music and live performance components. He creates entire pieces live in front of audiences using a tablet strapped around his body. It’s very fascinating to watch – you get to see exactly how he works and the process he uses, though how he achieves the final result is still magic. Music and art have always gone hand in hand, and we’re seeing more and more of the two being presented live simultaneously. You might catch him performing live art at a dj set, or melting faces as part of Phadroid, a combination of live painting and dance that aims to create a “physical and visual audio state of synaesthesia”. The visuals are very stimulating, and will no doubt continue to get even better and more absorbing the medium matures.

See more of Jones’ work at his portfolio.

All images © Andrew Jones.

I would love to be able to try my hand at making some of these. Unfortunately, I don’t happen to have access to a 4-story linear accelerator. But these guys do, and their work is a breathtaking combination of science and art.

Read more excellent info about the process and history of Lichtenberg Figures.