Samoylov, Lev (1918 - 1988)

Lev Samoylov was a Soviet caricaturist, and poster artist. He became a member of the USSR Union of Artists in 1948. He was born in Poltava. At the outbreak of the Russian Civil War, the artist's family moved to Kharkiv. He studied at the Kharkiv Art School. In 1939, Samoylov joined the Navy serving as an anti-aircraft gunner on the famous cruiser Aurora. He soon caught the attention of senior officers and was assigned to the editorial staff of the naval newspaper, where he created a regular satirical column titled ‘Polundra!’ (‘Look Out!’). In 1941, amidst the Siege of Leningrad, a small album titled Baltic Polundra was published, featuring caricatures created during the early stages of the war. Later, Samoylov transferred to a brigade of military artists attached to the Political Directorate of the Baltic Fleet; subsequently, he worked for the newspaper Letchik Baltiki (Baltic Aviator) until his demobilization in 1946. It was during the Great Patriotic War that the artist's multifaceted talent was fully and vividly revealed. Samoylov distinguished himself not only as a master of satirical drawing but also as a talented poster artist. His service was recognised with the Order of the Red Star and the Order of the Patriotic War. After the war, his cartoons appeared in the magazine Krokodil from 1948, and from 1959 onwards, he was a regular contributor to the publication. He also collaborated actively with other magazines such as Smena, Nedelya and Ogonyok as well as newspapers like Pravda and Izvestia.