Fighting Pencil, Society

Categories / Art/Fine Arts/Art and Literary Associations
FIGHTING PENCIL, association of artists and poets in Leningrad that published lithographic propaganda posters and books of satirical drawings. Started their activities during the Soviet-Finnish War of 1939-40, and continued publishing posters as patriotic propaganda in 1941-45, totalling 103 separate posters with a circulation reaching 15,000 copies. The association was joined by artists I. S. Astapov, G. S. Vereysky, V. I. Kurdov, G. N. Petrov, V. A. Serov, and N. A. Tyrsa; and poets V. M. Sayanov and N. S. Tikhonov. The Fighting Pencil's drawings and verses were attractive for their cartooning effect, the best of them enlarged into propaganda panels and installed outside. The Fighting Pencil resumed its activities in 1956 to carry out political propaganda aiming to increase production rates and labour discipline; to popularise sport, hygiene, and traffic rules; and to satirise private life. The association kept working till the early 1990s, joined by such artists as M. S. Belomlinsky, V. A. Galba, J. V. Efimovsky, V. A. Zavyalov, G. V. Kovenchuk, Y. P. Lobachev, and Y. V. Trunev.

Reference: Художники Ленинграда в годы блокады. Л., 1965; Боевой карандаш: Творч. коллектив художников и поэтов Ленинграда. Л., 1977.

O. L. Leikind, D.Y. Severyukhin. Astapov Ivan Stepanovich
Belomlinsky Mikhail Samuilovich
Efimovsky Josef Vyacheslavovich
Galba (real name Galberstadt) Vladimir Alexandrovich
Kovenchuk Georgy Vasilievich
Kurdov Valentin Ivanovich
Lobachev Yury (George) Pavlovich
Petrov Georgy Nikolaevich
Sayanov Vissarion Mikhailovich
Serov Vladimir Alexandrovich
Tikhonov Nikolay Semenovich
Trunev Yu.V.
Tyrsa Nikolay Andreevich
Vereysky Georgy Semenovich
Zavyalov Valery Anatolievich
Художники Ленинграда в годы блокады. Л., 1965
Боевой карандаш: Творч. коллектив художников и поэтов Ленинграда. Л., 1977 Siege of 1941-44