Poster by I. Toidze "Motherland is calling!", 1941

The rarest and, perhaps, the most famous poster of the war period in very good collector's condition. Over the past 15-20 years, we have not seen a single passage of original posters in the Russian Federation and only one in the USA, which makes the presented poster a real find for any domestic museum or private collection. Size 72*140 cm. Guarantee of authenticity. 

"Motherland is calling!" is a poster of the Great Patriotic War, created by the artist Irakli Toidze in 1941, probably at the end of June. The exact date of creation is unknown and is the subject of debate. According to the artist's own admission, the idea of creating a collective image of a mother calling for the help of her sons came to his mind quite by accident. After hearing the first message of the Soviet Information Bureau about the attack of Nazi Germany on the USSR, Toidze's wife ran into his workshop shouting "War!". Struck by the expression on her face, the artist ordered his wife to freeze and immediately began to sketch the future masterpiece. The image of the Motherland is obviously connected with the image of Mother Russia, which was widely used during the First World War and the Civil War for propaganda. According to the memoirs of Toidze's son, the artist loved the work of Andrei Bely, who has the lines: "Let me, O motherland, weep into the damp, empty expanse, into your expanse ..." Perhaps they served as the basis for the content of the poster.

The image of the "Motherland" later became one of the most common images of Soviet propaganda. There are numerous interpretations of the image and parodies of this poster in fine art, sculpture, folk art, advertising. The artistic composition of the poster is akin to such works as the Soviet poster "Did you volunteer?" (Dmitry Moore, 1920), the American poster "I want you for U.S. Army" (James Flagg, 1917), as well as the French painting "Freedom leading the People" (Eugene Delacroix, 1830), where the author he depicted the national symbol of France — Marianne. The poster can be seen in many Soviet feature films, in particular, in the film "The House in which I live".