Aleksandr Rodchenko (1891 – 1956) Russian Painter and Designer

Aleksandr Rodchenko (1891 – 1956) was a commercial and fine artist known for his role in the Russian constructivist art movement. The movement, named constructivism because its artists claimed to assemble images like engineers rather than traditional artists, emerged in the wake of the Russian Revolution. During these years, Rodchenko aimed to bridge the gap between art and everyday life with his utopian idealism.

The Utopian Idealism of Early Soviet Design

Despite the Soviet Union’s reputation for repression, it was initially a vibrant and open environment for design and poster artists. This era is often regarded as one of the most significant periods in graphic design history.

Rodchenko’s Experimental Approach to Art and Design

Rodchenko firmly believed that new ideologies called for new forms of art. He experimented with the physical properties of his works, using various paints and textures to convey his messages.

Rodchenko, born in 1891, is a unique example of an artist proficient in multiple disciplines. His talents spanned painting, sculpting, designing, and photography. Initially, he created two-dimensional geometric abstracts but later moved on to three-dimensional constructions. His style evolved into avant-garde, where he eventually simplified his art to either no colour or pure colour. In 1921, he announced that painting had reached a dead end, leading him to pursue other art forms.

From that period, he explored photography with striking images taken from unusual perspectives and oblique angles, bold graphic works, collages, posters, advertisements and designs for theatre and films.

Posters

The Soviet hierarchy, starting with Lenin himself, believed in posters as an essential means to transform the unruly working class into a disciplined political unit.

Photography

When he asserted that painting was dead, ” I reduced painting to its logical conclusion and exhibited three canvases: red, blue, and yellow.  I affirmed: it’s all over.

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