THE IMAGE OF THE “RED HORSEMAN” IN SOVIET PROPAGANDA ART. ORIGINS AND TRANSFORMATIONS

The image of the Red Horseman on a winged horse, which appeared in propaganda art in the first post-revolutionary years has absorbed deep cultural connotations: destruction of the old world, creation of the new, fight against evil and righteous judgment. The most striking examples of this image include: the propaganda plate of Alisa Golenkina “Red Genius” (State Porcelain Factory), the lithograph poster by Vladimir Fidman “The Second Anniversary of the Red Army” (Political Administration Department of the RMSR) and the poster by an unknown artist “Literacy is the way to communism” (Gosizdat), executed in 1920. These images reveal thematic, figurative and compositional similarities. The article describes the possible origins of these images and explores the semantics of propaganda visual communication. Furthermore, it examines the influence of iconographic images on the artistic practices of the post-revolutionary years. It is concluded that the artists of propaganda art turned to the iconography of the ancient sacred image of the Archangel Michael and created new heroes of the revolutionary era on its basis.