The Year 1918 in Petrograd

Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin's painting, "The Year 1918 in Petrograd" (also known as the "Petrograd Madonna"), depicts the events of the Russian Revolution. Created in 1920, the artwork treats the revolution's events as bloodless and humanitarian, reflecting Petrov-Vodkin's characteristic idealization in his mature works. The painting utilizes a unique spherical perspective, similar to a fish-eye lens, a technique Petrov-Vodkin mastered. Petrograd, formerly St. Petersburg, was a city experiencing significant industrial growth and population increase, which became a breeding ground for revolutionary sentiment leading up to and during the 1917 revolution. The revolution itself, spearheaded by the Petrograd proletariat and sailors, led to the Bolsheviks consolidating power in late 1917.12