Alexandr Petrovich Apsit grew up amidst dire poverty and yet he received free instruction under the tutelage of the Saint-Petersburg painter, Lev Dmitriev-Kavkazskii.  By 1902, Apsit was noticed by the popular journals, including Rodina [Motherland], Zvezda [Star], and Niva, for which he produced sketches. He also illustrated the publications of writings by A.M. Gorkii, N.S. Leskov, and A.P. Chekhov, as well as those by D. Bedny, I.S. Nikritin, and M.E. S...

VTsIK (Vserossiyskii Centralny Ispolnitelny Komitet ) was the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of Soviets of Workers', Peasants', Red Army and Cossack Deputies. It was the highest legislative and administrative body of government in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) from 1917 until 1936. Following the reformation of the Soviet Constitution in 1936, the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR replaced VTsIK. From a publishing angle, VTsIK disseminated agitational and military literature in addition to official publications. In May 1919, VTsIK ...