Aleksander Mikhailovich Rodchenko (russian: link=no, Алекса́ндр Миха́йлович Ро́дченко; – 3 December 1956) was a Russian and Soviet artist,
sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...
, photographer, and graphic designer. He was one of the founders of
constructivism and Russian design; he was married to the artist
Varvara Stepanova
Varvara Fyodorovna Stepanova (russian: Варва́ра Фёдоровна Степа́нова; – May 20, 1958) was a Russian artist. With her husband Alexander Rodchenko, she was associated with the Constructivist branch of the Russian avan ...
.
Rodchenko was one of the most versatile constructivist and
productivist artists to emerge after the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...
. He worked as a painter and graphic designer before turning to
photomontage
Photomontage is the process and the result of making a composite photograph by cutting, gluing, rearranging and overlapping two or more photographs into a new image. Sometimes the resulting composite image is photographed so that the final imag ...
and photography. His photography was socially engaged, formally innovative, and opposed to a painterly aesthetic. Concerned with the need for analytical-documentary photo series, he often shot his subjects from odd angles—usually high above or down below—to shock the viewer and to postpone recognition. He wrote: "One has to take several different shots of a subject, from different points of view and in different situations, as if one examined it in the round rather than looked through the same key-hole again and again."
Life and career
Rodchenko was born in
St. Petersburg to a working-class family who moved to
Kazan
Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering ...
after the death of his father, in 1909. He became an artist without having had any exposure to the art world, drawing much inspiration from art magazines. In 1910, Rodchenko began studies under
Nicolai Fechin
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Kazan, Russia
, death_date =
, death_place = Santa Monica, California United States
, spouse =
, known_for = Painting
, orientation =
, training = Imperial Academy of Arts
Kaz ...
and Georgii Medvedev at the
Kazan Art School
The Kazan Art School is a state autonomous education institution in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan. It's one of the oldest art schools in Russia, with a continuous history of more than 100 years.
History
The school was founded in 1895 as a b ...
, where he met
Varvara Stepanova
Varvara Fyodorovna Stepanova (russian: Варва́ра Фёдоровна Степа́нова; – May 20, 1958) was a Russian artist. With her husband Alexander Rodchenko, she was associated with the Constructivist branch of the Russian avan ...
, whom he later married.
After 1914, he continued his artistic training at the
Stroganov Institute in Moscow, where he created his first abstract drawings, influenced by the
Suprematism
Suprematism (russian: Супремати́зм) is an early twentieth-century art movement focused on the fundamentals of geometry (circles, squares, rectangles), painted in a limited range of colors. The term ''suprematism'' refers to an abstra ...
of
Kazimir Malevich
Kazimir Severinovich Malevich ; german: Kasimir Malewitsch; pl, Kazimierz Malewicz; russian: Казими́р Севери́нович Мале́вич ; uk, Казимир Северинович Малевич, translit=Kazymyr Severynovych ...
, in 1915. The following year, he participated in "The Store" exhibition organized by
Vladimir Tatlin
Vladimir Yevgrafovich Tatlin ( – 31 May 1953) was a Russian and Soviet painter, architect and stage-designer. Tatlin achieved fame as the architect who designed The Monument to the Third International, more commonly known as Tatlin's Tower, w ...
, who was another formative influence.
Rodchenko's work was heavily influenced by
Cubism
Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...
and
Futurism
Futurism ( it, Futurismo, link=no) was an Art movement, artistic and social movement that originated in Italy, and to a lesser extent in other countries, in the early 20th century. It emphasized dynamism, speed, technology, youth, violence, an ...
, as well as by Malevich's Suprematist compositions, which featured geometric forms deployed against a white background. While Rodchenko was a student of Tatlin's he was also his assistant, and the interest in figuration that characterized Rodchenko's early work disappeared as he experimented with the elements of design. He used a compass and ruler in creating his paintings, with the goal of eliminating expressive brushwork.
Rodchenko worked in
Narkompros The People's Commissariat for Education (or Narkompros; russian: Народный комиссариат просвещения, Наркомпрос, directly translated as the "People's Commissariat for Enlightenment") was the Soviet agency charge ...
and he was one of the organizers of
RABIS RABIS (russian: РАБИС) or Sorabis (russian: Сорабис), the widespread Trade Union of Art Workers in Bolshevik Russia and later in the Soviet Union, was a Soviet creative union (a type of Soviet trade union) formed in May 1919. The Russ ...
. RABIS was formed in 1919–1920.
Rodchenko was appointed Director of the Museum Bureau and Purchasing Fund by the
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
Government in 1920, responsible for the reorganization of art schools and museums. He became secretary of the Moscow Artists' Union and set up the Fine Arts Division of the People's Commissariat for Education, and helped found the Institute for Artistic Culture.
["Alexander Rodchenko: The Simple and the Commonplace," Hugh Adams. Artforum, Summer 1979. Page 28.]
He taught from 1920 to 1930 at the Higher Technical-Artistic Studios (
VKhUTEMAS/VKhUTEIN), a Bauhaus organization with a "checkered career". It was disbanded in 1930.
In 1921 he became a member of the
Productivist group, with Stepanova and
Aleksei Gan
Aleksei Mikhailovich Gan ( Russian: Алексей Михайлович Ган; born Imberkh; 1887 or 1893 – 8 September, 1942) was a Russian anarchist and later Marxist avant-garde artist, art theorist and graphic designer. Gan was a key f ...
, which advocated the incorporation of art into everyday life. He gave up painting to concentrate on graphic design for posters, books, and films. He was deeply influenced by the ideas and practice of the filmmaker
Dziga Vertov
Dziga Vertov (russian: Дзига Вертов, born David Abelevich Kaufman, russian: Дави́д А́белевич Ка́уфман, and also known as Denis Kaufman; – 12 February 1954) was a Soviet pioneer documentary film and newsre ...
, with whom he worked intensively in 1922.
Impressed by the photomontage of the German
Dadaist
Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 1920 Dada flourished in Par ...
s, Rodchenko began his own experiments in the medium, first employing found images in 1923, and from 1924 on, shooting his own photographs as well. His first published photomontage illustrated
Mayakovsky
Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky (, ; rus, Влади́мир Влади́мирович Маяко́вский, , vlɐˈdʲimʲɪr vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ məjɪˈkofskʲɪj, Ru-Vladimir Vladimirovich Mayakovsky.ogg, links=y; – 14 Apr ...
's poem, "About This", in 1923. In 1924, Rodchenko produced what is likely his most famous poster, an advertisement for the Lengiz Publishing House sometimes titled "Books", which features a young woman with a cupped hand shouting "книги по всем отраслям знания" (Books in all branches of knowledge), printed in modernist typography.
From 1923 to 1928 Rodchenko collaborated closely with Mayakovsky (of whom he took several portraits) on the design and layout of
LEF
''Guts'' or '' Lef '' is a 1999 Dutch comedy film directed by Ron Termaat.
Cast
*Viggo Waas ... Olivier / Jules
* Alice Reys ... Marielle
* Rick Engelkes ... Luc
*Victor Reinier ... Ex-vriend / Clerence
* Berco van Rheeden ... Bob
*Michi ...
and ''Novy LEF'', the publications of Constructivist artists. Many of his photographs appeared in or were used as covers for these and other journals. His images eliminated unnecessary detail, emphasized dynamic diagonal composition, and were concerned with the placement and movement of objects in space. During this period, he and Stepanova painted the well-known panels of the
Mosselprom building in Moscow. Their daughter,
Varvara Rodchenko Varvara ( Cyrillic: Варвара; el, Βαρβάρα, ''Varvára''), a variant of "Barbara", may refer to:
Places
*Varvara, Azerbaijan
* Varvara, Prozor, on the Rama river, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Varvara, Burgas Province, Bulgaria
* Varvara, ...
, was born in 1925.
Throughout the 1920s, Rodchenko's work was very abstract. Rodchenko joined the
October Group of artists in 1928 but was expelled three years later, charged with "
formalism", an accusation first raised in the pages of
Sovetskoe Foto
''Sovetskoe Foto'' (Russian: Советское фото, English: 'Soviet Photography') was the sole specialist photography magazine in the Soviet Union. Founded by the writer and editor Mikhail Kotsov in April 1926, it was published in Moscow, R ...
in 1928. In the 1930s, with the changing Party guidelines governing artistic practice in favour of
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...
, he concentrated on sports photography and images of parades and other choreographed movements. He returned to painting in the late 1930s, stopped photographing in 1942, and produced abstract expressionist works in the 1940s. He continued to organize photography exhibitions for the government during these years. He died in Moscow in 1956.
Influence
Much of the work of 20th century graphic designers is a direct result of Rodchenko's earlier work in the field. His influence has been pervasive. American
conceptual artist
Barbara Kruger owes a debt to Rodchenko's work.
His portrait of
Lilya Brik
Lilya Yuryevna Brik (alternatively spelled ''Lili'' or ''Lily''; russian: link=no, Ли́ля Ю́рьевна Брик; née Kagan; – August 4, 1978) was a Russian author and socialite, connected to many leading figures in the Russian avant ...
has inspired a number of subsequent works, including the cover art for a number of music albums. Among them are the influential Dutch punk band
The Ex, which published a series of 7" vinyl albums, each with a variation on the Lilya Brik portrait theme, the cover of
Mike + the Mechanics
Mike and the Mechanics (stylised as Mike + The Mechanics) is an English rock supergroup formed in Dover in 1985 by Mike Rutherford, initially as a side project during a hiatus period for his earlier group Genesis. The band is known for hit sin ...
album ''
Word of Mouth
Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one ...
'', and the cover of the
Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I.
F ...
album ''
You Could Have It So Much Better''. The poster for ''One-Sixth Part of the World'' was the basis for the cover of "
Take Me Out
A take is a single continuous recorded performance. The term is used in film and music to denote and track the stages of production.
Film
In cinematography, a take refers to each filmed "version" of a particular shot or "setup". Takes of each s ...
", also by Franz Ferdinand.
The end of painting
In 1921, Rodchenko executed the first true
monochrome
A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, monochr ...
paintings, first displayed in the
5x5=25 exhibition in Moscow. For artists of the Russian Revolution, Rodchenko's radical action was full of utopian possibility. It marked the end of easel painting – perhaps even the end of art – along with the end of bourgeois norms and practices. It cleared the way for the beginning of a new Russian life, a new mode of production, a new culture. Rodchenko later proclaimed, "I reduced painting to its logical conclusion and exhibited three canvases: red, blue, and yellow. I affirmed: it's all over."
Photobooks (published posthumously)
* ''Alexander Rodchenko''. Edited by
National Center of Cinematography and the moving image. New York:
Pantheon, 1987.
* ''Rodchenko – Photography – 1924 ‐ 1954''. Edited by Alexander Lavrentiev. UK: Könemann, 1995.
* ''Rodchenko''. Edited by
Peter MacGill
Peter MacGill is an American gallerist, curator, and art historian. MacGill is President of the Pace/MacGill Gallery, which opened in 1983 on East 57th Street in New York City.
In 2006 he was the first recipient of the Harold Jones Distinguishe ...
. Göttingen, Germany:
Steidl, 2012.
See also
*
Anti-art
Anti-art is a loosely used term applied to an array of concepts and attitudes that reject prior definitions of art and question art in general. Somewhat paradoxically, anti-art tends to conduct this questioning and rejection from the vantage poi ...
*
List of Russian artists
*
Russian avant-garde
The Russian avant-garde was a large, influential wave of avant-garde modern art that flourished in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, approximately from 1890 to 1930—although some have placed its beginning as early as 1850 and its ...
Sources
*
*Dabrowski, Magdalena, Leah Dickerman,
Peter Galassi, A. N. Lavrentʹev, and V. A. Rodchenko. Aleksandr Rodchenko. New York, N. Y.: Museum of Modern Art, 1998.
*
*
*
*"Alexander Rodchenko: The Simple and the Commonplace," Hugh Adams. Artforum, Summer 1979. Page 28.
References
External links
review of a recent exhibition of Rodchenko's art by C.B.Liddell "Partial Portrait of a Russian Artist," by William Meyers, Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2012
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodchenko, Alexander
1891 births
1956 deaths
Artists from Saint Petersburg
People from Sankt-Peterburgsky Uyezd
Abstract painters
Russian avant-garde
Russian graphic designers
Photographers from Saint Petersburg
Soviet painters
Soviet photographers
Constructivism (art)
Collage artists
20th-century Russian painters
Russian male painters
Vkhutemas faculty
20th-century Russian male artists