Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge

In El Lissitzky’s Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge, we can see a perfect example of simple shapes created using lithography. This is a simplified portrait, using the most basic shapes to portray the meaning of propaganda. During that time, red was the standard symbol for revolution. As such, an intrusive red wedge is symbolic of workers penetrating and defeating their opponents, the Whites. The Whites, as they were called, represented capitalists and counter revolutionaries during the Russian Civil War. With this painting, El Lissitzky delivers a clear political message even writing “Beat Whites” on the right-hand side of the painting.