3 Voici l'aveugle Nakekin - Fenêtres Rosta Circa 1920

This rare circa 1920 original poster by Mikhail Cheremnykh belongs to the celebrated series of ROSTA Windows (Okna ROSTA), one of the most innovative forms of visual propaganda produced during the early years of Soviet Russia.

Titled “Here is the Blind Nakekin”, the work presents a simplified, highly stylized figure rendered with bold shapes, flat colors, and expressive graphic economy. The character, leaning on a staff and dressed in peasant clothing, appears as part of a narrative sequence rather than an isolated image. The number 3 indicates that this sheet formed one panel within a larger multi-image story typical of the ROSTA Window format.

Created in the turbulent years following the Russian Revolution, ROSTA Windows combined visual satire, political commentary, and popular storytelling. Produced by the Russian Telegraph Agency (ROSTA), these posters were displayed in shop windows, public buildings, railway stations, and streets, providing news and political messages to a largely illiterate population. Their direct visual language made them accessible to broad audiences throughout the Soviet Union.

Mikhail Cheremnykh (1890–1962) was one of the principal creators of the ROSTA Windows movement. Working alongside artists and poets such as Vladimir Mayakovsky, he helped establish a radically new form of graphic communication that blended caricature, folk imagery, and avant-garde design. The posters were often produced rapidly using stencil techniques, allowing them to respond almost immediately to political and social events.

The figure of Nakekin appears to belong to one of the satirical narrative cycles frequently employed by ROSTA artists. Such characters often embodied social types, political opponents, or symbolic figures through whom broader lessons and ideological messages could be conveyed. The apparent simplicity of the image masks a sophisticated understanding of visual communication, where gesture, costume, and posture carry narrative meaning with remarkable efficiency.

Stylistically, the poster demonstrates many of the characteristics that made ROSTA graphics revolutionary. The composition is stripped of unnecessary detail, relying instead on strong silhouettes, dramatic contrasts, and vivid colors. This economy of means was both practical and artistic, allowing rapid production while creating an immediately recognizable visual identity.

Today, original ROSTA Window posters are among the most sought-after works of early Soviet graphic art. Their rarity is enhanced by their ephemeral nature: created for temporary public display, few examples survived the decades that followed. Works by Cheremnykh are particularly important because of their central role in shaping the visual language of revolutionary Russia and influencing later developments in graphic design and political poster art worldwide.

This circa 1920 original poster is therefore much more than a piece of propaganda. It is a surviving document of one of the most experimental and influential moments in twentieth-century graphic design, capturing the energy, innovation, and visual boldness of the Russian avant-garde through the distinctive language of the ROSTA Windows.

Original Poster

Propaganda - Russia

Good condition