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Draft:Albert Mailiantz

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  • Comment: Vague and superficial analysis such as The article identified Mailiantz as a member of the Union of Journalists of the USSR and noted that the exhibition had been organised by the Tashkent organisation of the Union of Journalists of the USSR is characteristic of LLM usage; ideally you should remove all prose from the draft and start over from a blank slate without LLMs. Helpful Raccoon (talk) 02:52, 20 June 2026 (UTC)

Albert Nikolaevich Mailiantz (Russian: Альберт Николаевич Маилянц; 13 August 1923, Baku – 13 April 1978, Tashkent) was a Soviet political caricaturist, journalist, and veteran of the Great Patriotic War. Of Armenian nationality, he drew his first anti-fascist caricature in 1941 while a student at Ashgabat Secondary School No. 5. He was conscripted into the Red Army in February 1942, served as a machine-gunner in the 504th Rifle Regiment, and was seriously wounded near Voronezh in July 1942, ending his active military service. Returning to Ashgabat as a disabled veteran, he produced political caricatures that appeared in Soviet Turkmen and Uzbek periodicals over three decades. He assembled a traveling exhibition of his wartime works that was documented by multiple independent Soviet publications and described by V. Kaidalov, holder of the title People's Artist of Uzbekistan.

Political caricature played a significant role in Soviet wartime culture, with artists working directly from Sovinformburo bulletins to produce anti-fascist imagery for newspapers, public windows, and traveling exhibitions — a tradition represented by such collectives as the Kukryniksy and projects such as TASS Windows. Mailiantz worked within this tradition, producing caricatures for the newspaper Turkmenskaya Iskra from 1944 and assembling a documented traveling exhibition of his wartime works.

Biography and wartime service

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Albert Nikolaevich Mailiantz was born on 13 August 1923 in Baku.[1] He was of Armenian nationality.[1] When the war began, he was a student in the tenth grade at Ashgabat Secondary School No. 5 and drew his first political caricature in 1941.[2][3]

Mailiantz was conscripted by the Ashgabat City Military Commissariat and assigned to active military service on 10 February 1942.[1] He took his military oath on 10 March 1942 at the 504th Rifle Regiment.[1] His military identity document records his assignment to the 504th Rifle Regiment as a gunner, with enrollment in February 1942.[1] A biographical note states that he served as a machine-gunner operating a Maxim gun and that he was twice seriously wounded in battles near Voronezh.[3] His military identity document records his active participation in combat operations in the Great Patriotic War from 14 to 15 July 1942, and notes that he was seriously wounded in the right arm and right leg in July 1942.[1] Following his wounding, he was transferred to Evacuation Hospital No. 1397, where he was treated from July to December 1942, holding the rank of junior sergeant.[1] He was demobilized on 10 December 1942 on the basis of Article 21, group T, order 336 of 1942.[1]

A military-medical certificate from the Archive of Military-Medical Documents of the Military Medical Museum of the Ministry of Defence of the USSR records a severe bullet wound to the right shoulder with a bone fracture and a wound to the soft tissue of the right thigh.[4] A 1944 order from Ashgabat records his transfer to the editorial office of the newspaper Na relsakh from 1 July 1944.[5]

For his wartime service, Mailiantz received the Medal "For Victory over Germany" in May 1945, as well as subsequent commemorative awards including the Medal "20 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War", the Medal "30 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War", the Badge of the Ministry of Defence of the USSR "25 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War", the Medal "50 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR", and the Medal "60 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR", the last of which was presented on 12 October 1978.[1]

Journalism and caricature

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Returning to Ashgabat as a disabled veteran, Mailiantz began producing political caricatures based on Sovinformburo reports. According to a biographical note, the caricatures were first displayed in a city-centre shop window and later appeared in the pages of the republican newspaper Turkmenskaya Iskra.[3] A 1975 article in Pravda Vostoka specified that his first caricatures appeared in Turkmenskaya Iskra in 1944.[6] A 1975 article in Selyskaya Pravda noted that at an All-Union review competition in 1943, the Komsomol wall newspaper he edited took second place, described as the first recognition of his work as a caricaturist.[7]

The biographical note states that the poetic captions accompanying his wartime caricature series were written by Viktor Pavlovich Permyakov, a poet and literary figure then well known in Ashgabat, who served as the responsible secretary of the newspaper Na relsakh and whose long creative friendship with Mailiantz contributed significantly to his development as a journalist and caricaturist.[3][7]

From 1948, Mailiantz worked in Tashkent, contributing to the newspaper Komsomolets Uzbekistana, the magazine Uzbekistan, and other publications.[3] His later membership card of the Union of Journalists of the USSR, No. 33887, lists his admission to the Union in August 1958 and records his literary pseudonym as A. Nikolaev.[8] In 1968, the Board of the Union of Journalists of Uzbekistan issued a formal certificate, signed by its Responsible Secretary Kh. Tadzhibaev, confirming Mailiantz's entitlement to additional professional living space under Resolution No. 383 of the Council of Ministers of the Uzbek SSR of 21 June 1965.[9]

Soviet Uzbek bibliographic indexes list works by "A. Mailiantz" in the magazine Uzbekistan during the 1960s. These include "30 kunda bir uy" ("A House in 30 Days"), published in 1960;[10] "Enilg'i eshelonlari yo'lda" ("Fuel Trains Are on the Way"), published in 1962;[11] "Termiz markasi bilan" ("Under the Termez Brand"), published in 1962;[12] and "Uzbekistonning Oltin manbai" ("Uzbekistan's Golden Source"), published in 1969.[13]

Mailiantz's caricatures appeared in the Uzbek Soviet newspaper Pravda Vostoka in the 1970s. Issues published on 2 June 1976, 25 June 1976, 21 July 1976, 25 August 1976, 6 October 1976, 8 January 1977, and 21 January 1977 contain caricatures credited to A. Mailiantz.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20]

Wartime works

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Mailiantz's wartime caricature series included a group of works titled "Pochti po Krylovu" ("Almost after Krylov"), in which prominent figures of the Nazi leadership were depicted as characters from the fables of Ivan Krylov.[21] Among individually documented works is "Khizhina teti Franko" ("Aunt Franco's Hut"), a caricature depicting the Spanish general Francisco Franco as a lodging-house keeper sheltering Nazi soldiers.[21] Two works in the TASS Windows format were produced based on Mailiantz's drawings and displayed alongside his original works at his 1945 exhibition.[21] In January 1945, Turkmenskaya Iskra published a collection of his caricatures under the title "Chem byl pamyaten 1944 god dlya Gitlera i K?" ("What Made 1944 Memorable for [[Hitler and his Company?").[2]

Exhibitions and press coverage

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Mailiantz's wartime caricature work was documented by at least five independent Soviet publications in 1975 alone: Pravda Vostoka, Tashkentskaya Pravda, Selyskaya Pravda, Znamya Oktyabrya, and Frunzevets.

On 5 May 1945, four days before the end of the war,[6] the newspaper Na relsakh published an article by P. Victorov titled "Shtykom i risunkom" ("With Bayonet and Drawing") about an exhibition of caricatures by A. Mailiantz at the Ashgabat Railway Administration. The article stated that the exhibition included more than twenty caricatures and described the works as sharply directed against the enemy.[21]

On 14 August 1973, the military-district newspaper Frunzevets published an article titled "Vseryoz i v shutku" ("Seriously and in Jest") about Mailiantz and his work, written by V. Kaidalov, holder of the title People's Artist of Uzbekistan — a state distinction conferred by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet recognising outstanding contribution to the arts. The article included a reproduced drawing by Mailiantz and his self-caricature, and described his wartime service and subsequent career across multiple Soviet Central Asian publications.[22]

In 1975, several Soviet newspapers covered a major retrospective exhibition of Mailiantz's wartime caricatures, titled "Politicheskaya karikatura voennykh let" ("Political Caricature of the War Years"), at the District House of Officers in Tashkent, which opened on 25 April 1975[23] and presented more than fifty works.[7]

On 20 March 1975, Znamya Oktyabrya (No. 56 (227)) published an article titled "Shtykom i risunkom", which reproduced five caricatures from the collection alongside poetic captions, and described Mailiantz's wartime service and his career in Soviet Central Asian journalism.[2]

On 2 May 1975, Tashkentskaya Pravda (No. 87 (5435)) published an article by Yu. Glebov titled "Dve vystavki" ("Two Exhibitions"). The article identified Mailiantz as a member of the Union of Journalists of the USSR and noted that the exhibition had been organised by the Tashkent organisation of the Union of Journalists of the USSR. It described three sections of the exhibition: "Shtykom i risunkom" ("With Bayonet and Drawing"), "Illyustrirovannye tsitaty" ("Illustrated Quotations"), and "Pochti po Krylovu" ("Almost after Krylov").[24]

On 8 May 1975, Selyskaya Pravda (No. 107 (410)) published an article by V. Zimon titled "Boets armii satiry" ("Fighter of the Army of Satire"), describing Mailiantz's wartime service, his wounding near Voronezh, and his subsequent career as a caricaturist and journalist.[7]

On 11 May 1975, Frunzevets (No. 110 (16383)), the daily newspaper of the Red Banner Turkestan Military District, published an article titled "Oruzhiem smekha" ("With the Weapon of Laughter") about the continuing exhibition at the District House of Officers.[25]

On 20 May 1975, Pravda Vostoka (No. 116 (17784)) published an article by V. Sergeev titled "Podarok byvshego voina" ("A Gift from a Former Soldier"), describing Mailiantz as a former soldier and journalist whose wartime caricatures had been first displayed on the streets of Ashgabat before appearing in the press.[6]

A letter dated 24 April 1975 from the Baku branch of Club "12 Chairs," bearing document number 01/44 and signed by eight members, congratulated Mailiantz on the opening of his personal exhibition at the District House of Officers in Tashkent on 25 April 1975.[23]

In May 1970, the Tashkent City Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan and the Executive Committee of the Tashkent City Council of Working People's Deputies addressed a formal congratulatory letter to Mailiantz as a participant of the Great Patriotic War, on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of victory.[26]

Graphic work

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The Letopis pechati Uzbekskoi SSR lists Mailiantz as an artist for printed film-related posters issued by Uzkinoprokat in 1978. The listed works, credited to artists K. Nazarov and A. Mailiantz, include Est na Vostoke dobry gorod ("There Is a Kind City in the East"), Zdravstvuy, god udarnogo truda! ("Hello, Year of Shock Labor!"), Buinyi "Lebed" ("The Wild Swan"), and Dom pod zharkim solntsem ("A House Under the Hot Sun").[27]

Lecture activity

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Mailiantz lectured on political caricature during the Great Patriotic War under the auspices of the Tashkent regional organisation of the Znanie Society. A printed lecture card identifies him as "Lecturer of the Tashkent regional organisation of the Znanie Society, member of the Union of Journalists of the USSR" and gives the lecture title as "Political Caricature of the Great Patriotic War, 1941–1945."[28] A lecture manuscript of the same title identifies him as a journalist and participant of the Great Patriotic War and recounts his wartime service and subsequent caricature work.[29]

Collection

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A collection of approximately forty wartime caricatures by Mailiantz, spanning the period 1942 to 1945, has been preserved with accompanying provenance documentation. The collection includes the military identity document, military-medical certificate, press clippings, exhibition records, and other archival materials referenced in this article. The works have not previously been exhibited outside the former Soviet Union.

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Military identity document (Военный билет) НТ No. 2403131, issued by the Kuibyshev District Military Commissariat of Tashkent, 25 September 1963.
  2. 1 2 3 Znamya Oktyabrya, No. 56 (227), 20 March 1975, "Shtykom i risunkom."
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Biographical note, "A Little About the Author" (Немного об авторе), typescript accompanying collection of Mailiantz's wartime drawings.
  4. ↑ Military-medical certificate, Archive of Military-Medical Documents, Military Medical Museum of the Ministry of Defence of the USSR, identifying Albert Nikolaevich Mailiantz.
  5. ↑ 1944 administrative order, Ashgabat, recording transfer of Mailiantz to the editorial office of Na relsakh.
  6. 1 2 3 Pravda Vostoka, No. 116 (17784), 20 May 1975, V. Sergeev, "Podarok byvshego voina."
  7. 1 2 3 4 Selyskaya Pravda, No. 107 (410), 8 May 1975, V. Zimon, "Boets armii satiry."
  8. ↑ Membership card No. 33887, Union of Journalists of the USSR, Albert Nikolaevich Mailiantz, issued 24 April 1978.
  9. ↑ Certificate No. 85, Board of the Union of Journalists of Uzbekistan, 26 February 1968, signed by Kh. Tadzhibaev.
  10. ↑ Letopis pechati Uzbekskoi SSR, 1960, "A. Mailiantz," "30 kunda bir uy."
  11. ↑ Letopis pechati Uzbekskoi SSR, 1962, "A. Mailiantz," "Enilg'i eshelonlari yo'lda."
  12. ↑ Letopis pechati Uzbekskoi SSR, 1962, "A. Mailiantz," "Termiz markasi bilan."
  13. ↑ Letopis pechati Uzbekskoi SSR, 1969, "A. Mailiantz," "Uzbekistonning Oltin manbai."
  14. ↑ Pravda Vostoka, 2 June 1976.
  15. ↑ Pravda Vostoka, 25 June 1976.
  16. ↑ Pravda Vostoka, 21 July 1976.
  17. ↑ Pravda Vostoka, 25 August 1976.
  18. ↑ Pravda Vostoka, 6 October 1976.
  19. ↑ Pravda Vostoka, 8 January 1977.
  20. ↑ Pravda Vostoka, 21 January 1977.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Na relsakh, 5 May 1945, P. Victorov, "Shtykom i risunkom."
  22. ↑ Frunzevets, 14 August 1973, V. Kaidalov, "Vseryoz i v shutku."
  23. 1 2 Archival letter No. 01/44, Baku branch of Club "12 Chairs," 24 April 1975, congratulating Mailiantz on the exhibition opening of 25 April 1975.
  24. ↑ Tashkentskaya Pravda, No. 87 (5435), 2 May 1975, Yu. Glebov, "Dve vystavki."
  25. ↑ Frunzevets, No. 110 (16383), 11 May 1975, "Oruzhiem smekha."
  26. ↑ Congratulatory letter, Tashkent City Committee of the Communist Party of Uzbekistan and Executive Committee of the City Council of Working People's Deputies, 9 May 1970.
  27. ↑ Letopis pechati Uzbekskoi SSR, 1978, film poster entries for K. Nazarov and A. Mailiantz.
  28. ↑ Printed lecture announcement card, identifying Mailiantz as lecturer of the Tashkent regional organisation of the Znanie Society.
  29. ↑ Lecture manuscript, "Political Caricature during the Great Patriotic War," A. N. Mailiantz.

Category:1923 births Category:People from Baku Category:Soviet journalists Category:Soviet caricaturists Category:Armenian Soviet people Category:Veterans of World War II from the Soviet Union Category:Recipients of the Medal for the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945 Category:Members of the Union of Journalists of the USSR

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