Victor Petrovich Boldyrev’s "Baptism to Faith is Spiritual Enslavement" (1980s) represents a rare surviving preliminary sketch for Soviet anti-religious propaganda. Created for Agitplakat Don, this oil on card sketch is particularly significant as Soviet protocol typically mandated the destruction of preliminary designs following approval. The work emerges from the context of renewed atheistic campaigns of the 1980s, when the state sought to discourage religious practices, particularly targeting traditional Orthodox ceremonies like infant baptism.
The compositional study demonstrates the artist's initial conceptual development, with careful attention to dramatic impact and reproducibility. The sketch shows Boldyrev working through the stark arrangement: oversized threatening hands frame a diminutive white infant, positioned against a cross-shaped void of black. The baptismal font below and the propaganda text are positioned to create a powerful vertical movement. These preliminary decisions reveal how Boldyrev crafted the psychological impact of the final poster, with each element carefully considered for maximum propagandistic effect.
The limited colour palette - predominantly grey, black, red, and white - showcase Boldyrev’s sophisticated understanding of mass printing poster production requirements. The provisional nature of the work is evident in the expressive brushwork of the hands and the efficient blocking of major forms, demonstrating how Boldyrev’s resolved both artistic and practical challenges in the design process. This working method, honed during his training at the M.B. Grekov Rostov Art School, shows the balance between artistic expression and reproductive requirements.
Victor Petrovich Boldyrev (1936–2006), born in Rostov-on-Don, was a Soviet poster artist known for his contributions to propaganda art. Boldyrev worked with influential organisations, including the creative workshop "Agitplakat Dona" and publishers such as "Soviet Artist" and Rostizdat. His works addressed pivotal social and political issues of the Soviet era, spanning themes from industrial progress to moral discipline. Notable works include "Lenin the Great Illuminated Our Path" (1969) and "Drunkenness Out! Sobriety is the Law!" (1986), which reflect his commitment to Soviet ideals. Today, Boldyrev’s posters are in prominent institutions like the State Historical Museum in Moscow, the Azov Historical, Archaeological, and Paleontological Museum-Reserve, the Volgodonsk Ecological and Historical Museum, the Rostov Regional Museum of Fine Arts, and the Saratov Regional Museum of Local History
