The Alphabetic Truth Exhibit
A recent exhibition at the Elsium Gallery takes a look at how artists portrayed individual letters in the Russian alphabet from the Silver Age through the Russian Revolution.
There are thirty-three letters in the Russian alphabet and at least 10 of those letters are vowels. One way that children learn their ABCs is through the use of a learning tool called the azbuki, an illustrated primer.
In the exhibit there are many different interpretations of the Russian letters. Book illustrator Ivan Bilibin’s 1906 woodcuts depicted warriors and peacocks. And one from 1911 by Mstilislav Dobuzhinsky shows the letter D as standing for himself, Dobuzhinsky, complete with a self-portrait with arrows through his head. Vasily Vatagin drew an animal alphabet.
After 1917, the alphabet changed. The Soviet government made some changes in the actual alphabet itself and artists were charged with creating azbuki with political propaganda. Some of the primers where titled “Soviet Azbuka” and “October Revolution Azbuka” and featured artists like Vladimir Mayakovsky and Mikhail Cheremnykh.
“The Alphabetic Truth” runs through Dec 28th at Elysium Gallery which is located inside the Central House of Artists at 10 Krymsky Val. Metro Park Kultury, Oktyabrskaya. If you are looking for an interesting place to take a pretty Russian date, definitely check out this exhibit!
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