"Fascism Will Not Pass!" (1972) by Vilen Surenovich Karakashev demonstrates how Soviet graphic artists of the 1970s were permitted to explore more experimental forms whilst addressing state-sanctioned themes. The poster offers a powerful synthesis of anti-fascist symbolism, marking a departure from strict Socialist Realist conventions.
Three massive yellow fists dominate the upper portion of the poster, their geometric simplification revealing clear constructivist influence through sharp angles and bold shadows. Karakashev's masterful use of colour gradients transforms these fists from shadow into bright golden light, giving them an architectural presence that towers over the deadly scene below. Barbed wire cuts horizontally across the middle, creating a brutal division. Below this line lies a mass of fragmented bodies in blues and browns - twisted limbs and broken forms compressed into a tight band of horror.
The poster's power comes from its layered historical references. The Cyrillic text directly translates to "Fascism Shall Not Pass," drawing on the famous anti-fascist slogan "¡No Pasarán!" from the Spanish Civil War and earlier French World War I resistance. Karakashev deliberately echoes Picasso's "Guernica" (1937) in his treatment of fragmented bodies and twisted limbs, making a bold choice to reference Western modernism in Soviet propaganda. This appropriation of international modernist vocabulary represents a significant ideological statement, suggesting Soviet artists' willingness to engage with Western artistic traditions when they served revolutionary purposes. The barbed wire acts as both a literal and metaphorical barrier, whilst the raised fists emerge as symbols of collective resistance that transcend national boundaries.
Vilen Surenovich Karakashev (b. 1935, Baku) trained at the Moscow State Academic Art Institute, graduating in 1962. After graduating from the Moscow State Academic Art Institute in 1962, he quickly gained recognition for bringing a fresh aesthetic to political poster art. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, Karakashev created numerous influential political and social posters, earning multiple "best poster of the year" awards. His works are now held in major Russian institutions, including the State Museum of Political History of Russia and the Russian State Library
