Russian Art
Labas, A. A.
"Airship". 1931
Notes: Airship
Alexander Labas' "Airship" (1931), also entitled "The First Soviet Dirigible," illustrates the two most significant characteristics of his work -- his fascination with advancements in Soviet air transportation technology and his ability to interpret poetically the impact of science and technology on mankind.
Labas' airship themes coincide with one of the objectives of Stalin's First Five Year Plan: to develop an independent Soviet aviation industry. The grandiose scale of the dirigible fills almost three quarters of Labas' composition. A number of people, dwarfed in comparison, cling to the craft's mooring rope, but the immense power of the dirigible makes a farce of their efforts. Labas' work glorifies the dirigible and celebrates Soviet technological progress.
