Lik-bez

On the back of the photograph is an inscription in russian written in purple ballpoint pen: "Ivanova A. M. Lik-bez 1926. Moscow". The photograph shows the painting "Lik-Bez" (1926) by Antonina Ivanova, dedicated to the events initiated on 19.07.1920 by the Council of People's Commissars, in particular the All-Russian Emergency Commission for the Eradication of Illiteracy (created at that time under the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of December 1919 "On the Eradication of Illiteracy Among the Population of the RSFSR"). Later, in the autumn of 1923, the All-Russian Voluntary Society "Away with Illiteracy" was founded (later, its branches appeared in other republics of the USSR). In addition to the production of alphabet books for adults, posters and other forms of visual propaganda were intensively used (for example, the slogans "We are not slaves, slaves are not us" or "Illiterate is the same as blind"), and artists were actively involved in this activity. Other artists from Mykhailo Boichuk's circle have similarly themed works, such as Vasyl Sedliar's painting "In the School of Likbez", 1929 (from the collection of the National Art Museum of Ukraine). Therefore, Antonina Ivanova's work could have been used for a thematic exhibition, or it could be a sketch for a printed publication (the latter is less likely). Later, this motif and a number of other works related to education were used by the artist to create the panel "Lenin's Order" (silk painting, 1969) and were probably mentioned in Antonina Ivanova's correspondence with Oksana Pavlenko. We refer to Letter No. 38 (23.12.1969, Moscow): "I have just submitted the work to the Lenin Jubilee Exhibition". According to researcher Oksana Storchai, this text refers to the All-Union Jubilee Art Exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Lenin's birth, which opened on 17.03.1970 at the Manezh Central Exhibition Hall (Moscow). Letters from Antonina Ivanova to Oksana Pavlenko, 1965–1971... P. 383. (http://www.irbis-nbuv.gov.ua/cgi-bin/irbis_nbuv/cgiirbis_64.exe?C21COM=2&I21DBN=UJRN&P21DBN=UJRN&IMAGE_FILE_DOWNLOAD=1&Image_file_name=PDF/rks_2020_26_24.pdf).

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery