I am Walking on the Moon!

Valentin Petrovich Viktorov & Veniamin Markovich Briskin, 1970

Medium: Offset/paper
Dimensions /: 87 H x 58 W
Country: Russian SFSR
Condition: B | Fine - Minor signs of wear

I am Walking on the Moon! – Soviet Russia Space propaganda poster from 1973 featuring a robot walking and smoking on the moon, framed in a wooden frame on a white wall with soft sunlight

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"I am Walking on the Moon!" (1970) by Valentin Petrovich Viktorov and Veniamin Markovich Briskin represents a critical shift in Soviet space propaganda following the United States' successful Moon landing in 1969. Created at a moment when Soviet space ambitions needed reframing, this poster celebrates the Lunokhod 1 program—the USSR's pioneering achievement in space exploration.

The composition centers on a humanised Lunokhod rover, rendered in bold red against a dark cosmic background and pale lunar surface. The rover, portrayed as a cheerful character with a broad smile and a casual cigarette, strides confidently across the Moon. The artists combine stark geometric forms and mechanical details with a playful, cartoon-like quality. A limited color palette—primarily red, black, and pale yellow—aligns with traditional Soviet propaganda aesthetics, while white stars and smoke trails provide context for the cosmic setting.

Drawing on the cultural resonance of the popular Soviet film Walking the Streets of Moscow, the poster reimagines this scientific triumph as a distinctly Soviet cultural moment. As the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on an extraterrestrial body, Lunokhod 1 marked a major milestone in space exploration. It travelled across the lunar surface, conducted research, and returned detailed images. The Lunokhod's smoking, smiling demeanor suggests that while Americans briefly visited the Moon, the Soviet’s robot would casually stroll its surface with characteristic nonchalance. This clever reinterpretation preserves Soviet pride in space achievements while signaling a shift toward robotic exploration as a new frontier in cosmic competition.

Veniamin Markovich Briskin (1906–1982), an Honored Artist of the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic, was celebrated for his satirical works in publications like Pravda. Valentin Petrovich Viktorov (1909–1981), a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR, specialized in aviation and space exploration themes. Their works, now held in the State Museum of Political History of Russia and the Museum of Cosmonautics, reflect a crucial period in Soviet propaganda design.