according to zambaccian, tonitza's early association with socialism was partly due to the interest taken in him by the leftist press, who was willing to reward his contributions at a time when "one could not live solely by painting". the same source stated that the artist later refrained from expressing political opinions, and, on one occasion during the 1930s, jokingly referred to himself as "a supporter of petre p. carp" (the conservative leader had died in 1919). nevertheless, he signed, alongside several other prominent cultural figures, an appeal to tighten cultural connections between romania and the soviet union, leading to the creation of "societatea pentru întreţinerea raporturilor culturale dintre românia şi uniunea sovietică" (the society for maintaining cultural links between romania and the soviet union) in may 1935 ("see amicii urss").