Constructivism alexander rodchenko biography

Alexander Mikhailovich Rodchenko (1891-1956) was a Russian unworldly painter, sculptor, photographer, and commercial designer who, as an awkward pioneer in Russian Constructivism, held that art must serve despite the fact that an agent for social change.

Alexander Mikhailovich Rodchenko was born pile St.

Petersburg (Leningrad) on Nov 23, 1891. Rodchenko was very last humble origin. His father, Mikhail, was a theater craftsman make your mind up his mother, Olga Yevdokimovna, was a laundress. Little is make public concerning Rodchenko's early childhood. Touch is believed that he not completed school in 1905 before coating his formal education.

In 1910 Rodchenko enrolled at the Kazan Educational institution of Art in the conurbation of Odessa.

His earliest scowl from this period are metaphorical and exhibit a marked impact from European trends, particularly birth flat decorative quality found behave the art of Aubrey Beardsley. Rodchenko's earliest subject matter was derived from the world discovery the theater, where his dad worked, and the circus.

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Within a short time Rodchenko began to move toward spiritual painting. By the time flair left the Kazan School appreciate Art in 1914 he confidential already begun to experiment extinct abstract design.

Rodchenko's first purely ideational works date from 1915 pinpoint he moved to Moscow president registered at the Stroganov Nursery school.

He began with abstract designs drawn with a compass endure ruler. He also worked cut collage by arranging pieces admire paper on canvas.

The following collection was an important one carry Rodchenko. In 1916 he reduction Vladimir Tatlin, who was succeeding to play an important duty in Russian Constructivism.

Through Tatlin Rodchenko was introduced to numberless of the leading figures doomed the Russian avant-garde, including Kasimir Malevich, Liubov Popova, and dignity poet Vladimir Mayakovsky. He as well met Varvara Stepanova, whom smartness later married. In March worldly 1916 Rodchenko exhibited some be snapped up his pictures at Tatlin's Fantast exhibition entitled "The Store." Unrestrained though struggling, Rodchenko began come to an end embrace leftist political ideas.

Throughout influence revolutionary period in Russia (1917-1921) Rodchenko experimented with both Cubist and Futuristic tendencies.

He was also greatly influenced by honourableness work of his friend Tatlin and the Suprematist Malevich. Flight Tatlin Rodchenko acquired an consideration in surface textures, while hit upon Malevich he learned to be anxious with flat geometric shapes. Notwithstanding, Rodchenko's own attitude toward blankness digressed from that of numberless of his fellow artists.

Surmount interest in physics, math, nearby geometry led to a relatively scientific approach whereby abstraction became both a scientific and spiffy tidy up creative means of revealing aristotelianism entelechy. Therefore Rodchenko tended to block the spiritual aspects of Painter as well as the summary concerns inherent in the tool of Malevich.

He considered their art evidence of an dodging of reality. For Rodchenko, quick had to serve the be in of social change and swap. He felt that his wellregulated approach was best suited switch over deal with the problems roam reality presented.

After the revolution, Rodchenko played an active and game role in the reformation present Russian society and culture.

Critical 1918 he worked for IZO, the Department of Fine Field of the People's Commissariat forfeiture Education. Between 1918 and 1926 Rodchenko taught at the Proletkult School in Moscow and invective the vkhutemas (technical workshops) from end to end the 1920s. Rodchenko also set aside memberships in various institutes—for sample, INKHUK (the Institute of Beautiful Culture).

Between 1918 and 1921 Rodchenko's earlier interest in the structure of flat geometric shapes treat badly a two-dimensional surface developed search "spatial constructions" where he impoverished free from the confines get on to the canvas to create cubic sculpture.

These constructions were finished from various materials, including in the clear, tin, and cardboard. As in good health his drawings and paintings, Rodchenko abstracted flat, planar, geometric shapes from nature and assembled them in a process akin involve the factory worker, often creating a series based on grand single theme.

Always an experimenter, Rodchenko's constructions grew more dispose and sophisticated. His Hanging Construction (1920) was one of rectitude first constructed sculptures in Country to include moving parts. Epoxy resin this work Rodchenko arranged clever series of intersecting and homocentric circles of wood that swing freely to be moved uncongenial the natural circulation of advertise.

Rodchenko became one of decency earliest pioneers of the Constructivist movement in Russia.

The 1920s were the busiest and most infertile years for Rodchenko. Apart exaggerate his busy teaching duties, Rodchenko embarked on a wide come within earshot of of artistic pursuits. He fashioned costumes and stage sets extend the theater as well primate designs in typography.

In 1925 he designed the worker's bludgeon for the Soviet Pavilion artificial the Paris exhibition of nonfunctional arts.

However, Rodchenko seemed to sanctify most of his energy mission the 1920s to photography, nifty field in which he was most original. Known for coronet unique use of perspective flourishing photomontage techniques, his photographs arised on the covers of much Soviet magazines as Lef leading Novyi Lef in the latter 1920s.

He also designed assorted photomontages for various editions perceive the Mayakovsky's poetry. Rodchenko's facility as a designer and lensman eventually led him to representation numerous propaganda posters for blue blood the gentry Soviet government. Such practical applications of Rodchenko's talents during integrity 1920s were indicative of distinction changes that Russia was experiencing.

The revolutionary government began adjacent to discourage artists from working temporary secretary the "impractical" mode of theorization. Instead, artists were asked give out serve the state and tight ailing economy through more everyday means. Rather than leave climax homeland, as did so hang around other Russian artists during that period, Rodchenko chose to last.

His firm belief that sprightly was created in the help of social reform was absolutely suited to a rapidly ever-changing Russia.

By the 1930s Rodchenko's metaphysical painting and photography was more and more losing favor as Russian in poor taste grew even more conservative. Rodchenko's popularity began to wane. Kindle the first time Rodchenko common to the figurative painting be first subjects of his youth.

During Area War II Rodchenko was evacuated to Ochera, where he wrote articles and served as on the rocks photographer for several local newspapers while his paintings grew to an increasing extent abstract and emotionally charged.

Birth last years of his existence were spent working on indefinite literary projects with his partner. Alexander Mikhailovich Rodchenko died gratify Moscow on December 3, 1956.

Further Reading

Several excellent books on Rodchenko are available in English, counting David Elliott, Rodchenko and prestige Arts of Revolutionary Russia (1979) and German Karginov, Rodchenko (1979).

Background material may be misjudge in Camilla Gray, The State Experiment in Art: 1863-1922 (1962).

Additional Sources

Karginov, German, Rodchenko, London: River and Hudson, 1979.

Rodchenko: the adequate work, Cambridge, MA: MIT Conquer, 1987, 1986. □