APSIT (Apsītis) Aleksandr Petrovich

April 6, 1880 (Riga) - 1944 (Germany)

schedule, poster artist, book and magazine illustrator

no information about parents and childhood years of the artist has not survived.

In 1898-1899 attended the studio LE Dmitrieva-Caucasian in St. Petersburg. Then he moved to Moscow where he became a member of the creative association "Wednesday».

from 1902 began to work in the book chart. Magazines "Rodina", "The Star", "Niva", a satirical magazine "The spirit of time» (1905-1907).

Getting active exhibition activities Apsita refers to 1903.

In 1904 began to cooperate with publishers Sytin (based on introducing low-cost public books), AF Marx, and AD Stupin. He illustrated the works of the classics of Russian literature: Leo Tolstoy, Maxim Gorky, Chekhov, Nikolai Leskov, etc., decorated calendars , drew a different advertising, labels and posters, including kinoplakaty in Art Nouveau style.

by drawings Apsita partnership "Abrikosov's sons" has issued a series of Easter cards. The artist also played greeting cards to order.

In 1912 participated in a large exhibition of Russian artists, held in Moscow.

Apsit became one of the founders of the Moscow Society of Artists (1913), existed before the 1917 revolution.

During the First World War Apsit painted postcards to the patriotic theme, on subjects from Russian history, similar in execution to the cheap popular style.

After the revolution, in 1918 the artist as an experienced poster artist was invited to work in publishing the Central Executive Committee. Since that time Apsit involved the release of the revolutionary posters (under the pseudonyms Aspide, A-T, A. Petrov, Osinin, Skif), in fact, becoming one of the founders and most prominent masters of this art form.

Apsit developed a kind of figurative language the revolutionary banner, just focused on the conceptual horizon of the people and filled with allusions and allegorical images, which are then often used in Soviet art and became part of Soviet symbols. Apsitu owned solemn, propaganda, patriotic, accusatory posters ... In a series of large posters on the popular uprisings, the artist has made a successful attempt to display a collective image of the people.

poster language Apsita extremely diverse. Propaganda sheets or work performed for the holidays - is colored multi-figured, well-defined tracks ( "Year of the proletarian dictatorship: October 1917-October 1918", 1918, "The first of May. The workers have nothing to lose but their chains ...", 1919). Placards carried out in just hours ( "chest to defend Petrograd!", 1919, written during the offensive on the capital N. Yudenich) extremely laconic, monochrome, single-valued in the semantic decision, but denied negligence, even in the details.

In 1919 in the midst of the Civil War Apsit suddenly left Moscow. His place of residence in the next two years is not established, but there is evidence that already in 1921 he lived in Latvia, where he continued his work as an illustrator and poster artist. Many drew for Riga magazines.

In 1939 went to Germany, where he died in 1944.

On the last years of life and creativity Apsita information is not preserved.