Description
Doni's 1946 illustration "Portrait of a Candidate for Deputy" is a metaphorical work where, instead of a person's physical face, their socialist labor achievements are brought to the forefront. The numerous newspaper clippings depicted in the drawing collectively form the identity and merit of the candidate (with the placeholder surname Shikadze, as the caption informs us). The newspaper headlines report on his greatest successes: he is a Stakhanovite miner and shock worker who set a union record, fulfilled the plan by 130%, successfully led a Stakhanovite brigade, and has been awarded the Order of Lenin. This illustration highlights the main message of Soviet ideology, according to which a person's most appreciated and true "portrait" is not their appearance, but their dedicated labor and immense contribution to the industrial construction of the country. Consequently, the best deputy and the choice of the people in society is the one whose labor heroism constantly occupies the pages of the press and earns universal recognition.
