Aleksandr Rodchenko: The Complete Work (First Edition)

The Russian Constructivist Aleksandr Rodchenko (1891-1936) cannot be categorized by any one of his remarkable activities. His prodigious career in photography, graphic design, industrial design, painting, stage set and theater design, fashion and costume design, and architecture is at last given its full recognition in this splendidly illustrated and exhaustive study of the complete range of his work.

Rodchenko's artistic production is considered against the complex background of the political, social, personal, and artistic circumstances of the period, from the beginning of his studies at the Art School of Kazan to his encounter with Mayakovsky and the Futurists, from the famous Moscow Exhibitions where Rodchenko took part in the founding phase of abstract art to the arguments with Kandinksy over cultural supremacy with the Institute of Artistic Culture (INCHUK) and the definitive embracing of Constructivism.

Among the book's unusual contributions is the serious consideration given to Rodchenko's architectural projects and its generous treatment of unknown documents - newspaper reports, commentaries, debates, articles, letters - of the time. These give a lively sense of what was actually happening in Moscow art circles during the crucial formative years of the avant-garde movement.

The visual material is particularly stunning. Five hundred illustrations, many in full color, are taken from Russian archives or from Rodchenko's private archive now owned by his nephew.

The author, Selim Omarovich Khan-Magomedov is a Soviet architectural historian and critic who has achieved an enviable record of championing the rehabilitation of modern Soviet architecture from the 1920s. He almost single-handedly launched the bold campaign in 1962 to revive the historical legacy of Soviet modernism. Magomedov's studies of modern Soviet architecture, institutions, and personalities represent an impressive body of work in the face of formidable odds and official resistance and they are highly regarded in the West.

Rodchenko and Vesnin were part of the Russian Constructivist movement, with roots in cubism and futurism. Machines and technology were admired, along with a geometrically based aesthetic, but much of the group philosophy was too modern for the early Soviet Socialist regime. Rodchenko and Vesnin were among the Constructivists who stayed in Russia and enjoyed success and patronage. Vesnin was originally an architect. He also painted and did stage design and graphic work, all of which is illustrated in this first book in English on his work. The book is attractive and straightforward. It is recommended for comprehensive modern art collections. The book on Rodchenko is less appealing, in both text and physical layout. Rodchenko, in addition to working in painting, graphics, stage and costume design, etc., was also a photographer. There is a good selection of photographs, but the material is crowded. There are fewer color plates than in the Vesnin book. For scholarly, comprehensive modern art collections where other material on Rodchenko is lacking. Hara Seltzer, NYPL
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.