Illustration to Aleksander Blok's poem 'The Twelve' 1918

This is a line drawing, made by Jury Annenkov as an illustration to Aleksander Blok's poem, 'The Twelve.' I can almost feel Annenkov’s hand moving across the paper, scratching out these bristling, energetic lines. The bold blacks contrast with the bare white spaces, creating a stark, dramatic scene. I wonder what it was like to respond to someone else’s poem? To inhabit someone else’s creative world, whilst building your own? The angular, almost Cubist-like shapes remind me of other Russian avant-garde artists, people like Malevich and Popova. I imagine Annenkov, in his studio, wrestling with the chaos and uncertainty of the time, trying to capture the spirit of revolution in his marks. You can almost see the marchers rising up from the landscape. These artists were all in conversation. They were building on each other's ideas, responding to the moment with their own distinct voices. The magic for me lies in how a simple line can carry so much feeling, intention, and meaning.