This movement meant a new direction in art and its influences from technology, geometric shapes and photo montage will become a big part of the Soviet lifestyle.
The context when this movement happened was after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. In this context ideas mattered, were very important even dangerous. The purpose of the ideas expressed through art started from something intangible to having the power to change society. In 1919 Lenin said
“Of all arts, for us cinema is the most important.”
(Gariff, D., n.d.)
From a cinematic point of view, the start of the movies industry begun in 1920. The State Cinema Enterprise called Goskino opened in 1922 and was changed to Sovkino in 1926. Sovkino represented four movie studios, 22 different production units and distributed all foreign films. The advertising department was called Reklam Film and the main roles were designing, approving and distributing film posters throughout the country. The advertising department was led by graphic design Yakov Ruklevsky.
Figure 1. The Bagdad thief, American movie with Douglas Fairbanks, Yakov Ruklevsky
He recruited a lot of talented artists including the Stenberg Brothers, Georgii and Vladimir who created fantastic images and revolutionised the cinema advertising industry through their posters. Besides them there were also Nikolai Prusakov, Mikhail Dlugach and Alexander Naumov with their notable movie posters. The posters are very dynamic, carefully thought about the details so that your eyes are drawn step by step all over the poster without missing anything. Is like a story ready to unfold right before your eyes, gradually and intense.
Sometimes there was a huge amount of pressure regarding the production hours. The artists would be requested to view the screening at a certain hour then the directors wanted the poster done the next day in the morning, rather than allowing a few days to develop it. The equipment was old and likely to collapse therefore the technology was primitive.
The golden age of the Russian film poster was between 1924 and 1930. There are very rare to find nowadays and quite expensive to collect because of the poor quality paper that was design on which did not stand the test of time. This came to an end in 1930 because of Stalin who preferred art as propaganda rather the free expression to ideas. The work of filmmakers, writers and artists were censored. Anybody who refused to comply faced labour camp. Although this creativity was shut down it did not prevent spreading to other countries and remain memorable and influence many artists up until today. The author Susan Pack says in her book Film Posters of the Russian Avant-garde,
“Stalin may have closed the window of creativity, but not before it had illuminated history with some of the most brilliant posters ever created.”
(BBC Arts – BBC Arts – To the cinema, comrades: The revolutionary age of Soviet film posters, 2017)
The Stenberg Brothers
The way the approach was made about their work showed how the soviet directors thought about film assignments. The brothers did an amazing job in synthesise the trends of those days and making them into a vibrant style of their own. The characteristics that define their style includes distortion of perspective, influence of Dada montage elements, exaggerated scale, sense of movement and a dynamic use of colours. All of these elements would be a great source of inspiration to the artists that followed all around the world.
Figure 2 
Figure 3
Analysis
Figure 4 
Figure 5 
Figure 6
The three posters have in common the influence of Russian style in different periods. Photo montage is present in all of them as well as flat and symbolic colours and sans serif types. All of them are based on a controversial issue which has an impact both socially and culturally. Sunset Boulevard critiques the Hollywood star’s system while Night of the living dead brings in attentions issues like race and gender.
The poster called A Commonplace Story (Fig. 4) by Stenberg Brothers has a rough look due to the materials that were used in that period. There is a dynamic created between the exaggerated scale of the first picture in the left corner and the type below, both presented in diagonal, leading your eyes to the women and the small details like the date in the right corner and the symbol in the left. The contrast of the colours is well balanced in the composition, the background being focused on getting more attention to the women. The design communicates successful to the intended audience by raising the suspense and making you curios on how it ends.
The poster called Sunset Boulevard (Fig. 5) by Paramount Production has a more finished look due to the good quality of the photos. My eyes are led straight away to cinema roll that is folded. I think is the central piece of the design because its dynamics the viewer is draw directly to the title of the movie and then the role goes up in the left leading you to the main characters. The chromatic contrast is well balanced in the composition, the title stands out and the background keeps you in alert mode. The effect created by the transparent line on the bottom of the role gives perspective and depth. The blending of the 2 photos on top adds a finish touch and clarity on the poster.
The poster is called Night of the living dead (Fig. 6) and creates straight away a scary, spooky atmosphere by the scale of the photos that are used. The movement on the top of the photos is circular which brings you up to the title. The style of typography used adds to the atmosphere, it is legible and leads your attention to the underneath text as well. There is a high contrast between the title and the photos.
Figure 7 
Figure 8
What the two posters have in common are a controversial political context that are focused on and sans serif types. The Shanghai Document poster (Figure 7) context speaks about the contrast between the rich and poor Chinese and the powerful European Elite. The Isle of dogs (Figure 8) speaks about segregation and exploitation created by the propaganda of the government to a marginalised group.
The first poster ( Fig. 7) uses photo montage techniques and geometric shapes to lead the eyes of the viewer. The alignment of the type brings balance to the composition leading the eye on the pictures besides them. The text is clear and legible. The dynamic of the circular symbols is very clever, shifting the focus on the soldier which is guarding the two societies split in half. Repetition of yellow and red brings powerful contrast to the composition.
The techniques used for the second poster (Fig.8) is computer based. The poster looks more realistic, there is a great attention to details like the fur of the animals and the accessories. The aesthetic is inspired by the 19th century Japanese woodblock prints. There is a lot going on in the background but because of the choice of colours it does not feel busy or overcrowded. The variety of brown combined with black brings a balance to the composition and is a powerful contrast between the title and the background. The title stands out straight away because of the choice of the colours and the dynamic behind it created with the help of Japanese symbols. The background communicates very well with the title both in colours and alignment as well. The effect created on the background by the choice of alignment is solidarity and even revolution. The choice of colours is effective and is a very powerful tool in creating the atmosphere in the story.
Figure 9 
Figure 10
What the two posters have in common are the use of circular shapes, sans serif types and flat symbolic colours. The use of circular shapes created for both of the posters a feeling of suspension and implied motion.
For the poster The Last Flight (Figure 9) there are photo montage techniques used and circular shapes which give a sense dynamic, motion and perspective. The black circles give a feeling of expansion outside the frame and in the same time a fall towards the yellow abyss. In an interview in 1981 Vladimir Stenberg explained,
“When we made posters for the movies, everything was in motion because in films, everything moves.”
(Vuong, 2008)
The repetition of grey-blue colours adds a powerful contrast to the bottom of the poster. The type is legible and is using the dynamic of the circles to stand out.
The technique used for the second poster, Vertigo (Figure 10) by Saul Bass, is screen print because of the presence of photographic elements, hand-cut type and solid bright orange. The geometric pattern is based on hypotrochoid curves which are inspired from the popular Spirograph toys in 1970. This complex curves provides a psychological effect to the viewer creating a dizziness effect. The bright colour of the background adds to the tension of the poster. The choice of type is effective creating the story line of the visual. Saul Bass did a fantastic job in delivering the message of the movie to the audience.
It is easy to take for granted dynamic composition of film poster at this stage but I believe the Russian style posters had a great influence in cinema and what the Stenberg brothers did on that period of time was unprecedented to the film poster art and will remain an inspiration for the artists to come.
Sources:
BBC. 2017. BBC Arts – BBC Arts – To The Cinema, Comrades: The Revolutionary Age Of Soviet Film Posters. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4F3Tn4PT9rdt8nntNJc5Dp6/to-the-cinema-comrades-the-revolutionary-age-of-soviet-film-posters ;
Being in orbit. n.d. Russian Constructivism: From Avant-Garde To Propaganda. [online] Available at: https://beinginorbit.wordpress.com/essays/from-avant-garde-to-propaganda/ ;
Brody, R., 2018. “Isle Of Dogs” Is A Stylish Revolt Against (American) Political Madness. [online] The New Yorker. Available at: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/isle-of-dogs-is-a-stylish-revolt-against-american-political-madness
D’Souza, S., n.d. Soviet Film Posters Of The 1920S Exhibition | Just A Platform. [online] Justaplatform.com. Available at: https://www.justaplatform.com/soviet-film-posters-of-the-silent-screen-exhibition/;
Fomina, D., 2017. A Gallery Of Constructivist Film Posters. [online] Culture Trip. Available at: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/russia/articles/a-gallery-of-constructivist-film-posters/;
Gariff, D., n.d. Russian And Soviet Cinema In The Age Of Revolution, 1917 – 1932. [ebook] Available at: https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/calendar/film/pdfs/notes/ngafilm-russian.pdf ;
Hillegas, L., 2019. The Constructivists Imagined A World Where Art Was Created In Factories. [online] Artsy. Available at: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-constructivism-brought-russian-revolution-art
Rennie, P., 2018. Poster Service: Saul Bass’s Poster For Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. [online] the Guardian. <https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/sep/26/poster.vertigo>;
Vuong, T., 2008. The Stenberg Brothers – Revolutionary Poster Design. [online] Designhistorymashup.blogspot.com. Available at: <http://designhistorymashup.blogspot.com/2008/03/stenberg-brothers-revolutionary-poster.html>;
Webb, P., 2013. Stenberg Brothers Posters – Part 1. [online] Poulwebb.blogspot.com. Available at: http://poulwebb.blogspot.com/2013/12/stenberg-brothers-posters-part-1_10.html;
Widewalls. 2016. Understanding The Significance Of Avant-Garde. [online] Available at: https://www.widewalls.ch/avant-garde-movement-theater-music-photography-contemporary-art/.
Images:
Figure 1. http://www.artnet.com/artists/yakov-ruklevsky/the-bagdad-thief-f8ib682Xc3MOMcvHwASL5A2;
Figure 2. https://www.justaplatform.com/soviet-film-posters-of-the-silent-screen-exhibition/;
Figure 3. https://www.justaplatform.com/soviet-film-posters-of-the-silent-screen-exhibition/;
Figure 4. Webb, P., 2013. Stenberg Brothers Posters – Part 1. [online] Poulwebb.blogspot.com. Available at: http://poulwebb.blogspot.com/2013/12/stenberg-brothers-posters-part-1_10.html;
Figure 5. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043014/mediaviewer/rm3057726976;
Figure 6. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063350/mediaviewer/rm3662516481;
Figure 7. Webb, P., 2013. Stenberg Brothers Posters – Part 1. [online] Poulwebb.blogspot.com. Available at: http://poulwebb.blogspot.com/2013/12/stenberg-brothers-posters-part-1_10.html;
Figure 8. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5104604/mediaviewer/rm2831244544;
Figure 9. Vuong, T., 2008. The Stenberg Brothers – Revolutionary Poster Design. [online] Designhistorymashup.blogspot.com. Available at: <http://designhistorymashup.blogspot.com/2008/03/stenberg-brothers-revolutionary-poster.html>;
Figure 10. Vuong, T., 2008. The Stenberg Brothers – Revolutionary Poster Design. [online] Designhistorymashup.blogspot.com. Available at: <http://designhistorymashup.blogspot.com/2008/03/stenberg-brothers-revolutionary-poster.html>.
Laura Elena Agafitei 