The artwork you are inquiring about is an advertisement for GUM (State Department Store) designed by Alexander Rodchenko in 1923. As an influential figure in the Constructivist art movement, Rodchenko’s work in this piece exemplifies the genre of advertisement through a visually compelling poster that merges text and image to create an impactful message.
The poster itself shows a bold, dynamic composition, characteristic of the Constructivist movement, which focused on abstraction, geometric forms, and modernity. It features a montage of images that include a series of cars descending from the top left corner to the center-right, leading towards an image of the GUM department store facade depicted at the bottom. Layered on top of these visuals are large, angular blocks of text, capturing the viewer’s attention through both their size and the contrast they form with the background. Notably, the text appears to be written in Cyrillic script, indicative of the Russian origin of both the artist and the store.
In the very center, a man’s smiling face is circled, which emphasizes the joy or satisfaction of shopping at GUM. The use of this human element is consistent with advertising techniques that aim to establish a connection with potential customers. The colors used – predominantly red, white, and black – are striking and are typically associated with the Constructivist palette, reflecting the revolutionary spirit of the time.
Overall, the advertisement is a quintessential piece of early 20th-century Russian avant-garde art, demonstrating a fusion of innovative graphic design, photography, and typographic elements to achieve a promotional yet artistic objective.
