1921
Mahogany, enamel, coal, paper
98,2 õ 49,3
In this work Altman elegantly combines the features of different styles and areas of art: Constructivist love for material, elements of poster and Cubist style of creating the required form and texture by “filling” charcoal on the flat plane of the panel. The art critic B.I. Arvatov wrote in 1924 that the Proletarian “artist is not standing above life like some inspired priest but is now a shaper of material in the same as any other worker.”
The dynamic composition is mounted on a panel of mahogany and consists of a complex combination of geometric figures and script. The basis of the composition is large letters forming the word for “work” in Russian («Òðóä»). Three of the letters have been made using brilliant black lacquer, while one was made using pressed charcoal. Work is the foundation, the basis of the new Russia which is striving to rise upwards to the golden solar disk. Russia is symbolized by the huge letter “R” («Ð», in Cyrillic) and the number “2” standing next to it. As the author explained, the “2” was meant to signify the new “second” Russia.
at 10, Krymsky Val, Hall 6
