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New exhibit: Picturing Politics: Soviet posters from the Libraries’ Special Collections

This iconic poster by artist Dmitrii Moor, "Have You Volunteered?" was created in 1920. This first and most famous recruiting poster for the Red Army was modeled on the U.S. Uncle Sam and British John Bull posters of the Great War.

Political art has been used for centuries in many forms including graphical, musical, performance, and literary. Visual social and political commentary constitutes a powerful tradition of artistic expression. Graphic, bright and compelling, Soviet posters are often viewed as the essence a time in history, reflecting the way that the country’s rulers addressed the governed. Through the images of posters, the audiences can see how the state encouraged people, and what it did to make them feel optimistic about their future.

Binghamton University Libraries’ Special Collections will be exhibiting Soviet political posters from its collections through the Fall 2012 semester. For more information, contact Jean Green, Head of Special Collections, at 607-777-3912 or jgreen@binghamton.edu