Political Posters in Central and Eastern Europe 1945-1995: Signs of the Times Hardcover – May 12, 2000

The Communist era is best known for grandiose pompous art, that can be enjoyed for some of its dramatic flair, aggression or harping over class inequities. Unfortunately this book showcases none of that genre. It is a selective presentation of unimaginative talentless minimalist junk, mostly printed in black and white. The Soviets did have some original strains of modern art in their propaganda machinery, but little of it is reproduced here. This is just a sad cocktail of unoriginal ideas - borrowed from the West and executed poorly (an artistic equivalent of industrial rip-offs of Western consumer goods from the same era). If you want to see some original and funky modern Communist posters, see "Revolucion: Cuban Poster Art" by Lincoln Cushing.