The Moralistic Wolf (A Fable)

Prints and Drawings

July 19, 1943

Pavel Sokolov-Skalya
(Born Strel’nia, 1899; died Moscow, 1961)
Dem’ian Bednyi
(Born Gubovka, 1883; died Moscow, 1945)

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Prints and Drawings

Artist: Pavel P. Sokolov-Skalia
Title: The Moralistic Wolf (A Fable)
Place: Russia (Artist's nationality)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Original 1943
Medium: Stencil
Inscriptions: “Air bombardments of cities are contrary to ethical laws” Speech by the German Airforce General Quade. Let us tell a little fable, let us recall… not ancient times. In a certain village An unusually fierce wolf turned up as a neighbor. Not that he killed the lambs and calves. Instead of feeding on grass. Oh no, he was so fierce He did not allow the people any peace. And savagely at berry time and mushroom time He hunted for their children. It’s no surprise that this fierce wolf became renowned. They said, “In strength and in character, he’s like a wild boar. “And in his mouth there are no fangs, but tusks!” The peasants murmured among themselves And staged a raid on that wolf. “Get him!” they cried from all sides, “Get him!” Quickly losing his mate and cubs, The wolf began to suffer, as they say, the drama. “The peasants have a treacherous plan! One thing worse than the next: If you don’t get caught in a trap, You’ll fall into a wolf pit! The peasants will appear and take you alive! What a shameless approach”. And with this pitiful wailing, The wolf declared, emitting slime from his eyes, “Some liar tried to tell me That humans have ethics and morals! I don’t see any ethics in them at all!”
Dimensions: 240.4 × 83.5 cm (94 11/16 × 32 7/8 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of the USSR Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries
Reference Number: 2010.172

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