The Maxim Gorky was a Soviet propaganda plane. Constructed in 1934, only one was manufactured, making this painting a unique artistic record of the period. The largest plane in the world, the Maxim Gorky was designed and named after the famous Russian Realist writer by Soviet aircraft constructor Andrei Tupolyov. The plane had eight engines and a wing span of more than two hundred feet; it weighed forty-two tons, seated eighty passengers and was controlled by eight crew members. This wonder of Soviet technology did not last long. On 18 May 1935, it crashed after a mid-air collision with another plane Viewers do not always immediately spot that the urbanscape down below is the historical centre of Leningrad, with authentically painted architectural and landscape elements