In the basement of Tallinn's Museum of Occupation is a curious collection of Soviet statutes. Naturally there are several of Lenin, but also a collection of Estonian communists - the defeated end up in the basement near the toilets.Also in the basement is a small collection of Estonian Communist era posters. What make this particularly special was a video of the women who painted the posters. She graduated from art school in Tallinn around 1950 and painted these posters in the 1950s.
While the posters are Estonian, she had to follow precise instructions from Moscow on what to paint. It was always a woman who point the way to 'peace'. In this poster she has her protective arm over a Northern Korean boy to express solidarity. The more general poster had to include a worker, farmer, Pioneer and a patriot.
The video was made after Estonia regained independence and the woman concludes that she produced nothing of lasting value and made no contribution to any artistic heritage. It was really moving to watch her lament her wasted life.
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