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Wartime Molotov Cocktail Art


Have you ever used a cocktail to paint a portrait? (Don't worry, neither have we.) With the help of his production crew and a book of archived photos and documents, Russian street artist Radya can proudly claim that he has. He's created giant portraits of six World War II USSR soldiers – Guard Major Fedor Spekhov, Colonel Formichev, Guard Sergeant I.D. Serebrjakov, Guard Lieutenant V.A. Markov, and two unknowns – adding tone and texture to them by strategically bandaging fabrics to wooden panels and setting them ablaze with Molotov cocktails.After completing the construction of the portraits, Radya and his daring crew assembled the “Eternal Fire” installation over the windows of an abandoned hospital that used to house the wounded during wartime.


















Radya's website

Pinar

Pinar Noorata is the Managing Editor at My Modern Met. She is a writer, editor, and content creator based in Brooklyn, NY. She earned her BA in Film and Media Studies from CUNY Hunter College and is an alumni of the Center for Arts Education’s Career Development Program in NYC. She has worked at major TV, film, and publishing companies as well as other independent media businesses. When she isn’t writing, editing, or creating videos herself, Pinar enjoys watching movies, reading, crafting, drawing, and volunteering at her local animal shelter.
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