"Talnakh Will Be!" (1960s) by Aleksander Vladimirovich Ishin stands as a powerful testament to Soviet industrial ambition during a period of intensive northern development. This preparatory sketch for a linocut depicts the construction of Talnakh, a new mining town established in 1960 following the discovery of rich nickel deposits in Siberia. The work's creation coincides with the Soviet Union's major push to industrialise its northern territories, when artists were called upon to document and celebrate these massive development projects. The stark, modernist composition reflects both the harsh realities of the northern environment and the optimistic spirit of Soviet expansion.

The composition orchestrates a dynamic interplay between industrial machinery, architectural forms, and propaganda text. Ishin arranges bulldozers, construction equipment, and rising buildings across the picture plane, creating a sense of upward movement that mirrors the town's emergence from the tundra. The prominent text elements - "Geologists! Talnakh! Multiply the riches of the motherland!" and "On the construction site of Talnakh, increase the pace!" - integrate seamlessly with the visual elements, demonstrating how Soviet propaganda art merged word and image to amplify its message. This integration speaks to the broader role of art in Soviet society, where creative expression often served both aesthetic and ideological purposes.

The work's stark black-and-white contrast and geometric abstraction show the influence of Constructivist principles while incorporating elements of the "severe style" that emerged in the 1960s. Ishin's treatment of machinery and architectural forms reveals a sophisticated understanding of modernist techniques, with sharp angles and bold shapes creating a sense of industrial power and progress. The simplified, almost abstract rendering of construction equipment and buildings suggests the influence of both Cubist and Futurist aesthetics, while maintaining the legibility required of propaganda art.

Aleksander Vladimirovich Ishin (b. 1941) graduated from the Surikov State Art Institute in 1966, following a creative trip to Norilsk in 1965 that profoundly influenced his artistic vision. He held his first solo exhibitions in 1965 at the Palace of Culture in Norilsk and at the editorial office of "Youth" magazine in Moscow. His work was exhibited at the Central House of Workers in the Arts (1976), "Mars" Gallery (1991), and the Central House of Artists (1991). In 1992, he held a solo exhibition in Landkern, Germany. He was named an Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation in 2000 and People's Artist of the Russian Federation in 2011. His works are held in the State Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, the State Museum of Modern Art in Tsaritsyno, and the Marc Chagall Museum in Vitebsk.