When the artist Kustodiev is mentioned, images of portly merchants and vibrant Maslenitsa festivities immediately come to mind. However, Boris Mikhailovich was not only a talented painter. He also created caricatures and published in revolutionary publications.

In 1905, Kustodiev painted "The Entry," inspired by the December uprising in Moscow. He depicted the scene of the suppression of the rebellion in Presnya, where Death marches over fires and destroyed houses. A second version of this work was published in the magazine "The Specter of Revolution."

In 1906, a series of his political caricatures appeared in the publication "Hell's Mail," where the faces of the characters exposed all the vices of the authorities.

The artist welcomed the revolution with enthusiasm. At that time, he was already confined to a wheelchair and suffered from severe pain in his right arm due to a spinal disease. He observed the events of 1917 from his window, unable to go outside. Despite doctors' prohibitions, he captured what he saw on canvas, creating the painting "February 27, 1917."

In 1920, Kustodiev painted the allegory "The Bolshevik," aiming to show the spontaneous nature of Bolshevism. He feared that the work would be perceived as a provocation, but the painting was accepted and widely reproduced.

That same year, Kustodiev was able to leave his home thanks to a specially ordered car. He observed the celebration of the II Congress of the Comintern, which inspired him to create the painting "Celebration in Honor of the II Congress of the Comintern on July 19, 1920. Demonstration in Uritsky Square." In the last years of his life, the artist actively engaged in propaganda graphics, illustrating the covers of Bolshevik magazines. Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev passed away on May 26, 1927, from pneumonia.