Happy Birthday 1976

Oleksandr Aksinin created this print, "Happy Birthday", in the Soviet Union. The image, rendered in a clean blue ink, shows a tram elevated on jacks above a crowd. This print is all about process. Aksinin was a master of etching, an intaglio printmaking technique where acid is used to cut into a metal plate, which then holds ink. The artist carefully controls the biting process, varying the depth of the lines to create tonal effects. Aksinin was part of a nonconformist movement that embraced experimentation. Unlike traditional painting or sculpture, printmaking allowed for multiple originals, perfectly suited to disseminating imagery outside official channels. The artist would have needed access to specialized tools and materials: metal plates, acids, inks, and a printing press. The work involved physical labor, and a high degree of technical skill. Consider how the print’s graphic quality – its sharp lines and flat planes – conveys the energy of a society in transition. Aksinin elevates the everyday to the realm of the symbolic, finding poetry in the urban landscape.