Measures 8" x 7 ¼"; the artist's hand signature and year are in the lower right-hand corner under the image. Created in 1956 when Socialist Realism was practically the only genre approved and propagandized by the Soviet State, this work upsets the very foundation of the genre. Novichenko was among the first to turn upside down the old ideologically worn-out approach of Socialist Realism to the theme of labor heroes where the hero's portrait dominated his tools of labor and the entire environment. Here we see exactly the opposite: the Machine dwarfs and dominates the Man.

Measures 8" x 7 ¼"; the artist's hand signature and year are in the lower right-hand corner under the image. Created in 1956 when Socialist Realism was practically the only genre approved and propagandized by the Soviet State, this work upsets the very foundation of the genre. Novichenko was among the first to turn upside down the old ideologically worn-out approach of Socialist Realism to the theme of labor heroes where the hero's portrait dominated his tools of labor and the entire environment. Here we see exactly the opposite: the Machine dwarfs and dominates the Man.

In excellent condition. Very attractive age-toning to the margins and a small crease to the lower right-hand corner enhance the air of authenticity of this original work of art. Tilting the paper to reflect a bright light reveals minor wrinkles to the top of the sheet. However, they are completely invisible at a normal viewing angle. The verso is unmarked and mostly clean, showing just a faint yellowish stain and a few partial fingerprints. Quite possibly, they are Novichenko's own fingerprints! Talk about "signed artwork"!

Valentin Novichenko (Валентин Алексеевич Новиченко, 1927-2010) was a well-known master of graphic arts from the Urals. He was born into a working-class family. His childhood impressions of industry and the construction of the Orsk Metallurgical Kombinat (group of factories) deeply affected his art.

He participated in the Patriotic War and then graduated from the Sverdlovsk School of Arts, which he attended from 1956 to 1961. In 1966 he became a member of the Trade Union of Artists of the USSR and a permanent participant of all-Union exhibitions. From 1953 to 1963 he worked as a decorator at the Uralkhimmash and Uralmash, both of which were gigantic powerhouses of Soviet industry that played an extremely important role in the development of the industrial might of the Soviet Union as well as its defense during the Great Patriotic War. They also played a major role in the development of the city of Yekaterinburg (then Sverdlovsk) and the entire Urals Region.

After the death of the artist in 2010, a number of his exhibitions opened in his native Urals and in Moscow, and well-known collectors are now trying to acquire his works. As is evident from his correspondence with colleagues that is now kept in a private collection, Novichenko had a difficult personality. He never tried to sell his works to collectors or earn favors from the bureaucrats managing arts; he also refused to sell his painting to the managing committees of exhibitions on their terms. He was a tireless innovator, always in search of new materials and techniques, and this consumed his entire life. His lithographs on metal or so-called "poly-etching graphics" that employed various techniques and metal cutting instruments invented by him, make his art truly unique and of enduring value.

Please note that the pen in our photo is for size reference.
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