Alexander Zhitomirsky studied art in Moscow and later became publisher of the central office of the Artists' Association of Revolutionary Russia. He was a leading figure in Moscow's journalistic circles, and was known as an outstanding illustrator, cartoonist, and designer of books and journals. In the 1930s, influenced by the work of artists such as John Heartfield and Alexander Rodchenko, Zhitomirsky used his skills as a typographer and illustrator to make photomontages for journals. Zhitomirsky's photomontages, conveying the horrors of war and the tragedy and hopelessness it inflicted on humankind, earned him a place on the Third Reich's enemy list.