Peter the Great. Ink & Blood. New York, 1943.
“There has not been, is not, and shall not be a force on earth that can destroy us.”
SZYK, Arthur. Peter the Great. Russia [U.S.S.R.] Signed and Dated “Arthur Szyk, New York, 1943”. Watercolor and gouache on board. Sheet size: 13 1/2″ x 10″. Image size: 10 1/2″ x 7″. Text in Russian Cyrillic. Very Good condition.
A Commendation by Szyk: TO THE PEOPLE OF THE U.S.S.R. IN A BROTHERHOOD OF ARMS (FROM) THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA. In this painting, Szyk uses one of Russia’s most revered sons, Tsar Peter the Great, as a metaphor representing the fierce character the Russians exhibited during their defense against German invasion in WWII. With the Soviet Union an ally of the United States during that conflict Szyk’s illumination of the imposing Russian leader assumes a new significance with its message of will power and courage.
Peter Alexeyevich Romanov (b. Moscow 1672 – d. St. Petersburg 1725) was crowned tsar of Russia jointly with his brother Ivan on April 27, 1682, becoming sole Emperor of Russia on October 22, 1721. Peter engineered a series of bold reforms that were to put Russia among the major European powers. By opening his country to the west– the best European engineers, shipbuilders, architects, craftsmen and merchants were invited to Russia and hundreds of Russians were, in return, sent to Europe to receive a modern education. One of the Peter’s main goals was to regain access to the Baltic Sea and Baltic trade. In 1700 he started the Northern War with Sweden (being the first Tsar to organize a Russian regular army and assemble the Russian navy) which lasted for 21 years; in the course of which St. Petersburg was founded (1703) in the Neva River delta. Russia was ultimately victorious in conquering the vast lands on the Baltic coast and gaining access to European trade. St. Petersburg became her major sea port.
Szyk has painted Tsar Peter striding across the stage of history in the full pomp and glory that his 6’7” height once commanded. He grips an imperial staff in one hand while holding a document stating “There has not been, is not, and shall not be a force on earth that can destroy us,” in the other. The Red Star, a symbol of the new Communist regime, appears throughout the image: on the decorative border, his belt, hat, and glove and most importantly atop the hammer and sickle image in the upper right corner. This further icon of the U.S.S.R features the worker’s tool and a world globe circled by wheat, the essential staple of the Russian economy. The red ribbon bears the words “workers of the world unite”.
This illumination of Peter the Great straddles several centuries at once, incorporating the earlier times of Russian history with the mirrored chaos of World War II. A vignette in the upper left hand corner reveals the Battle (and siege) of Stalingrad during the winter of 1942-43. Victorious Soviet planes fly over the liberated city beyond the frozen remains of the German dead. In the lower right hand corner lays the empty helmet of Field Marshall Friedrich von Paulus who commanded the German 6th Army during the battle that many believe to have been the turning point in the war. In all, a total of anywhere from 1.7 million to 2 million Axis and Soviet casualties resulted from the battle, making it by far the largest in human history. This anachronistic composition is one that Szyk explored several times before with his illuminations of heroes: Queen Elizabeth [England], King Jagiello [Poland], and Joan of Arc [France]. Each of the these companion paintings (with the exception of Poland) were published in Ink & Blood and feature the same futuristic airplanes providing proof of Szyk’s deep appreciation of the free world’s allies during the conflicts of the Second World War.
Provenance: Alexandra Szyk Bracie, daughter of Arthur Szyk.
Exhibition History: Messrs. Wildenstein & CO, Inc. (Titled “United Nations”), December, 1944; Philadelphia Art Alliance, February 20–March 11, 1945 (Titled “United Nations”), Wilshire Blvd Temple, Los Angeles, CA, May 17–October 31, 1991; Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin, 29 August 2008–4 January 2009; Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Palace of the Legion of Honor, December 4, 2010–March 27, 2011.
Publishing History: Ink & Blood: A Book of Drawings. New York: Heritage Press, 1946. Plate III; Newsletter, The Arthur Szyk Society, Burlingame, CA, Spring/Summer 2003, p. 5; Drawing Against National Socialism and Terror, Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin, 2008, pp. 212-213; Artur Szyk: Dziedzictwo polsko-zydowskiego artysty [The Legacy of Polish-Jewish Artist], Krakow, Stradomskie Centrum Dialogu, 2011, p. 101.
