Youth, Let's Grow An Orchard in Every Collective Farm 1956

Valerii Lamakh painted this poster, Youth, Let's Grow An Orchard in Every Collective Farm with what looks like oil or acrylic, sometime during the Soviet era. The palette is earthy – greens, browns, blues – yet hopeful. I can imagine Lamakh making this; the kind of physical engagement, using hands and eyes and knowing how much pressure to apply with the brush... The paint seems applied quickly, the subject matter is very clear, as is the message. A woman, rendered in a very matter-of-fact way, trims a branch, her co-workers are busy in the background planting trees, and together their hard work creates an orchard. The focus is on labor, but the mood isn't dour. The artist sees the beauty in the everyday. This poster feels like a close cousin to the Mexican muralists who were painting at the same time, such as Diego Rivera, in its social realism and optimism. It shows how artists are constantly responding to each other. I see the act of painting as a form of expression that allows for multiple readings. It celebrates uncertainty over fixed meaning.