"I eat baked goods from the Red October factory" 1923

This is a poster by Alexander Rodchenko, “I eat baked goods from the Red October factory." It’s difficult to put a date on it, but let's just say it's from then. The graphic approach, like much constructivist work, is all about form following function, and the red, white and blue colour scheme is bold and confident. But I'm mostly drawn to the girl's expression. It feels slightly awkward and unposed, as if the artist caught a glimpse of something fleeting and real. The rough quality of the printing, the slight misregistration of the colours, it all adds to the sense of the imperfect and handmade. This is not slick advertising, this is someone trying to communicate something with the means they have to hand. The Russian Constructivists were reacting against the old order, finding new ways to create meaningful art, and they remind me of Dadaists in that way. This work embraces ambiguity and invites multiple interpretations, which is what makes it so engaging.