That is a part of the message. The picture is a well-known painitng by I believe, Repin, and it depicts the "burlaks", -- laborers that would drag a boat upstream on a river. That had been an instantly recognizable icon of Russia's backwardness. The creator of the poster uses it effectively as the grampa points to the same river teaming with modern ships. The text says, "The dreams of the people have now come true".