Our Factories 

Vasile Dobrian made this print, titled “Our Factories,” in 1961. It depicts a group of workers standing outside a factory complex. The artist seems to be working in the socialist realist style. The composition centers the heroic working class and the industrial landscape. The image employs a restricted palette of black and orange, using stark contrasts. This aligns with socialist art aesthetics prevalent in Eastern Europe during the mid-20th century. The title and imagery suggest a commentary on the social structures of the time. It reflects the prevailing ideology of state-owned industries as a collective achievement. Dobrian, born in Romania, lived through a period where art was often used as a tool to promote political agendas. To fully understand this work, we could research the Romanian art scene under communist rule. Investigating state policies on art production and exhibition can reveal the institutional forces that shaped Dobrian’s work and the messages it conveyed.