Tovarich
47.5 H x 35 W x 1 in (116 x 89 cm)

Etching ink on canvas.
Original signed small limited edition, off-print on canvas by the artist.
Printmaking, relief process. Framed, art gallery wrapped.

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Tovarich. (Tovarishch or tovarisch). Russian Marxists adopted as a translation of the word “Kamerad” the Russian word tovarishch (Товарищ), whose original meaning was “business companion”.

The more neutral republican form of address would translate as “citizen”, and “comrade” became so commonplace in the Soviet Union that it was used indiscriminately in essentially the same way as terms like “Mister” and “Sir” are employed in English. In the United States, the word “comrade” carries a strong connotation with Communism and the former Soviet Union. Despite this, the idea of reclaiming the word may seem appealing for it’s positive values; by the bye, it has been adopted into the U.S. Army Soldier’s Creed in the statement “I will never leave a fallen comrade”.