The artwork titled “The Literate Will Improve the Farm Economy! Teach Your Children with Gosizdat Textbooks!” is by the artist Varvara Stepanova, created around the year 1925. It belongs to the Constructivism movement and takes the form of a poster. This piece serves as a poignant reflection of the emphasis on literacy and education for the improvement of agricultural practices during that era.
The artwork prominently features a smiling farmer holding an open book, symbolizing the empowerment and progress that literacy can bring to rural communities. On the left page of the book is an emblem incorporating a hammer, sickle, and a gear, indicating industrial and agricultural labor unity under communist ideology. The right page shows a depiction of a schoolhouse, emphasizing the place of education in this vision of societal improvement. The text is presented in bold, eye-catching typography, reinforcing the message that educating children using Gosizdat textbooks is crucial for enhancing the farm economy. The overall design, combining photomontage, typography, and geometric shapes, is characteristic of the Constructivist art movement, which sought to serve practical purposes through art.
