2B

Between 1948 and 1960, agricultural posters deliberately constructed an image of the ideal socialist countryside. Following 1948, the state took full control of their production. The final content was shaped by Party departments and ministries, while artists associated with official art unions carried out the visual execution. Prominent artists of this era included Jaroslav Kotálek, Jiří Rathouský, Jaromír Schoř and František Severa.

Drawing on the principles of socialist realism, the visual style used bright colours, simple symbols and clear compositions to guide the viewer instantly towards the intended interpretation. Recurring motifs included JZD workers, young tractor drivers, modern machinery and abundant harvests. A woman driving a tractor symbolised a new social status. In contrast, opponents of collectivisation and private farmers were exclusively depicted through caricature as enemies of the promised progress.

The posters created an idealised vision of the countryside, where collective labour under the Party's leadership was guaranteed to lead to success. The constant repetition of a unified style and motifs was intended to imprint itself deeply into the consciousness of all involved. These materials appeared in village squares, offices, schools and even directly in the landscape. They thus became an omnipresent backdrop to everyday rural life, designed to obscure the harsher reality of the violent transformation of the Czechoslovakian countryside.