EL LISSITZKY EL LISSITZKY
EL LISSITZKY EL LISSITZKY
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Build a book as a carpus that moves in space and time, as a relief dynamic in which each page is a surface that contains the shapes and each turn of the page is a transition to a new level of a single structure.
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Lazar Lissitzky, more commonly known as El Lissitzky was a Russian artist who lived between the time of 1890 to 1941 and worked as a designer, illustrator, photographer, architect, journalist, typographer and writer. Though his work in three dimensional studies was profound, his two-dimensional projects were revolutionary. Lissitzky’s works still serve a purpose as foundational elements of twentieth century design, and he is still credited for his work in the avant-garde and neverbeen-seen-before tactics.
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From 1909 until 1914 Lissitzky studied architecture in Darmstadt. In 1919 Lissitzky became a professor at the art school in Vitebsk, where he met Marc Chagall and Kasimir Malevich and turned to the Suprematist theory of art and the “UNOWIS” group, beginning to work on a series of abstract paintings he called “Proun,” meaning “for the new art.” A number of works from this series are in the pages of this book. After founding the international journal “Vesc” in 1922, Lissitzky devoted himself increasingly to typography and exhibition design. This is where the bulk of his work was made and developed.
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artistry
The piece of work featured here is one of Lissitzky’s most famous creations, titled “Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge” was made between 1919 and 1921 and is still studied today on account of its use of asymmetry, traditional shapes and typography in a very interesting fashion. In Lissitzky’s time, nothing like this had ever been done before. Many of the pieces he made were rejected simply because they were fighting against the style of the time. Lissitzky made work with cut image, painted image and forced juxtaposition in order to challenge the viewer to expand their views on imagery and understand where their imagination can lead them without limits. Functionalism was a major factor in projecting his ideas onto critics and followers. This is the primal example of what happened from what could’ve been. Through color, type, shape and image, viewers and fans were transformed by Lissitzky’s powerful ways of displaying an image.
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legacy
Lissitzky’s work will live on at the Museum of the Image in The Netherlands because the museum is the most avant-garde graphic design exhibition in thecum world.etThough work is more than half old, it isvoluptur, still incredibly Laceperatecae parum, odiosto audi Lissitzky’s digent aperspe explaut quisa century porepellatem sum forwardhari dolupthinkingporatem and revolutionary. It mustil stay on the galleries a way of informing of artists the pos-cus. ta volorem quaepra ipicab est, alive quibus, conwalls namofaliam, imusasadi re eaturib usciisgenerations asimilicto offici cus of explamus sibilites andsimus. wonders they canunt create from such simple theories. imagined to remain a et success for years to come on It mollacidus Destem voloreh enimagniet alit queIt is saecerum facearum laborem re, earumet facepuwalls of this damthe harchicia quogallery. eaquos doloreprem faceati busciaeria cus, nobis aspiet re nullabo. Bitae. Quid magnatet exerchi llores magname sapernatur, sero eos mil etur? Qui corume into omnitesto es explit que nit fuga. Et volut aceritem. Em di to volut volorio denistiis aut autae velitat ationsent laute nam, coriant magnis dolenis et autet que magnam, ve
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IMAGES CREDITED LEFT TO RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM COVERPHOTOGRAMN.D.INSIDE COVEROF TWO SQUARES1922PAGE ONEPHOTOGRAPH OF LISSITZKY IN PARIS1928PAGE TWOTHE CONSTRUCTOR, SELFPORTRAIT/3X/1924PAGE THREEPROUN 991924 COVER FOR CATALOGUE OF THE JAPANESE CINEMA EXHIBITION 1929PHOTOGRAM1929PUPPET PORTFOLIO:VICTORY OVER THE SUN:OLD MAN1923PROUN1920PROUN R.V.N. 219208 POSITION PROUN1923SOCIALIST CONSTRUCTION,DRESDEN1929PUPPET PORTFOLIO:VICTORY OVER THE SUN:GRAVEDIGGERS1923PROUN 19D1922REFERENCE: THE RED WEDGE BY NIKOLAI KOLLI1918PAGE FOURINTERNATIONAL HYGIENE EXHIBITION: DRESDEN: ENTRANCE1930INTERNATIONAL PRESS EXHIBITION, PRESSA: COLOGNE: SOVIET PAVILION: THE ENTRANCE HALL1928PAGE FIVEREFERENCE:INTERNATIONAL PRESS EXHIBITION, PRESSA: COLOGNE: SOVIET PAVILLION: PHOTOMONTAGE FOR CATALOG1928CATALOGUE OF SOVIET SECTION OF PRESSA1928PAGE SIXHISTORY OF THE SOVIET COMMUNIST (BOLSHEVIK) PARTY1926COVER FOR ARTISTS’ BRIGADE1923PAGE SEVENCOVER FOR “RUSSIA” FROM THE SERIES ‘NEUES BAUEN IN DER WELT’ (THE WORLD’S NEW ARCHITECTURE)1929PROGRAMME COVER DESIGN FOR THE FIRST RUSSIAN ART EXHIBITION1922PAGE EIGHT TATLIN AT WORK ILLUSTRATION FOR SIX TALES WITH EASY ENGINGS19212BLACK SPHERE1922PAGE NINEBEAT THE WHITES WITH THE RED WAVE1919-20PAGE TEN&ELEVENPROUN (PROJECT FOR PROGRESS) G71923PHOTOGRAPH OF LISSITZKY ON THE DNYEPROSTROY1932PAGE THIRTEENINTERNATIONAL FUR TRADE EXHIBITION: LEIPZIG: VIEWS OF EXHIBIT1930INTERNATIONAL PRESS EXHIBITION, PRESSA: COLOGNE: SOVIET PAVILION: THE LENIN CORNER1928PAGE FOURTEENPROPAGANDA BOARD AT A FACTORY, VITEBSIC ‘THE WORK BENCHES ARE WAITING FOR YOU... LET US GET PRODUCTION MOVING’1919SECOND EXHIBITION ROOM INTERNATIONAL EXHIBIT., DET. VIEW OF ROOM1928PAGE FIFTEENOF TWO SQUARES DUTCH1922’FOR THE VOICE’ BY MAYAKOVSKY1923PAGE SIXTEENADDITION, SUBTRACTION, MULTIPLICATION, DIVISION1932OF TWO SQUARES DUTCH VERSION PUB. IN “DE STIJL”1922PAGE SEVENTEEN&EIGHTEENPHOTOGRAPH OF LISSITZKY AT WORK ON THE ALBUM ‘FIFTEEN YEARS IN THE RED ARMY’ MOSCOW1934PAGE NINETEENPROUN 1 A, BRIDGE I1919UNTITLED1919/20INTERNATIONAL PRESS EXHIBITION, PRESSA: COLOGNE: SOVIET PAVILION: PART OF A MURAL1928COVER FOR PERIODICAL ‘WENDINGEN1923SUPREMATISM: STUDY FOR CURTAINS FOR MEETING ROOM OF COMMITTEE TO ABOLISH UNEMPLOYMENT WITH KAZIMIR MALEVICH1919PAGE TWENTY SOCIALIST CONSTRUCTION, DRESDEN1929COVER FOR A PROSPECTUS1924MONTAGE FROM BUILDING THE USSR, MOSCOW1933ILLUSTRATION FOR EHRENBURG’S ‘SIX TALES WITH EASY ENDINGS’ “HAND W/HEBREW LETTERS”1922WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE DESIGN FOR ‘DIE VIER GRUNDRICH NUMGRARTEN’1928INSIDE BACK COVERPHOTOGRAM1929BACK COVERTHE CONSTRUCTOR, SELF-PORTRAIT1924 20
Museum Of The Image Boschstraat 22 4811 GH BREDA
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1
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“
“
Build a book as a carpus that moves in space and time, as a relief dynamic in which each page is a surface that contains the shapes and each turn of the page is a transition to a new level of a single structure.
1
Lazar Lissitzky, more commonly known as El Lissitzky was a Russian artist who lived between the time of 1890 to 1941 and worked as a designer, illustrator, photographer, architect, journalist, typographer and writer. Though his work in three dimensional studies was profound, his two-dimensional projects were revolutionary. Lissitzky’s works still serve a purpose as foundational elements of twentieth century design, and he is still credited for his work in the avant-garde and neverbeen-seen-before tactics.
2
From 1909 until 1914 Lissitzky studied architecture in Darmstadt. In 1919 Lissitzky became a professor at the art school in Vitebsk, where he met Marc Chagall and Kasimir Malevich and turned to the Suprematist theory of art and the “UNOWIS” group, beginning to work on a series of abstract paintings he called “Proun,” meaning “for the new art.” A number of works from this series are in the pages of this book. After founding the international journal “Vesc” in 1922, Lissitzky devoted himself increasingly to typography and exhibition design. This is where the bulk of his work was made and developed.
3
4
5
6
7
artistry
The piece of work featured here is one of Lissitzky’s most famous creations, titled “Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge” was made between 1919 and 1921 and is still studied today on account of its use of asymmetry, traditional shapes and typography in a very interesting fashion. In Lissitzky’s time, nothing like this had ever been done before. Many of the pieces he made were rejected simply because they were fighting against the style of the time. Lissitzky made work with cut image, painted image and forced juxtaposition in order to challenge the viewer to expand their views on imagery and understand where their imagination can lead them without limits. Functionalism was a major factor in projecting his ideas onto critics and followers. This is the primal example of what happened from what could’ve been. Through color, type, shape and image, viewers and fans were transformed by Lissitzky’s powerful ways of displaying an image.
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
title
legacy
Lissitzky’s work will live on at the Museum of the Image in The Netherlands because the museum is the most avant-garde graphic design exhibition in thecum world.etThough work is more than half old, it isvoluptur, still incredibly Laceperatecae parum, odiosto audi Lissitzky’s digent aperspe explaut quisa century porepellatem sum forwardhari dolupthinkingporatem and revolutionary. It mustil stay on the galleries a way of informing of artists the pos-cus. ta volorem quaepra ipicab est, alive quibus, conwalls namofaliam, imusasadi re eaturib usciisgenerations asimilicto offici cus of explamus sibilites andsimus. wonders they canunt create from such simple theories. imagined to remain a et success for years to come on It mollacidus Destem voloreh enimagniet alit queIt is saecerum facearum laborem re, earumet facepuwalls of this damthe harchicia quogallery. eaquos doloreprem faceati busciaeria cus, nobis aspiet re nullabo. Bitae. Quid magnatet exerchi llores magname sapernatur, sero eos mil etur? Qui corume into omnitesto es explit que nit fuga. Et volut aceritem. Em di to volut volorio denistiis aut autae velitat ationsent laute nam, coriant magnis dolenis et autet que magnam, ve
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IMAGES CREDITED LEFT TO RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM COVERPHOTOGRAMN.D.INSIDE COVEROF TWO SQUARES1922PAGE ONEPHOTOGRAPH OF LISSITZKY IN PARIS1928PAGE TWOTHE CONSTRUCTOR, SELFPORTRAIT/3X/1924PAGE THREEPROUN 991924 COVER FOR CATALOGUE OF THE JAPANESE CINEMA EXHIBITION 1929PHOTOGRAM1929PUPPET PORTFOLIO:VICTORY OVER THE SUN:OLD MAN1923PROUN1920PROUN R.V.N. 219208 POSITION PROUN1923SOCIALIST CONSTRUCTION,DRESDEN1929PUPPET PORTFOLIO:VICTORY OVER THE SUN:GRAVEDIGGERS1923PROUN 19D1922REFERENCE: THE RED WEDGE BY NIKOLAI KOLLI1918PAGE FOURINTERNATIONAL HYGIENE EXHIBITION: DRESDEN: ENTRANCE1930INTERNATIONAL PRESS EXHIBITION, PRESSA: COLOGNE: SOVIET PAVILION: THE ENTRANCE HALL1928PAGE FIVEREFERENCE:INTERNATIONAL PRESS EXHIBITION, PRESSA: COLOGNE: SOVIET PAVILLION: PHOTOMONTAGE FOR CATALOG1928CATALOGUE OF SOVIET SECTION OF PRESSA1928PAGE SIXHISTORY OF THE SOVIET COMMUNIST (BOLSHEVIK) PARTY1926COVER FOR ARTISTS’ BRIGADE1923PAGE SEVENCOVER FOR “RUSSIA” FROM THE SERIES ‘NEUES BAUEN IN DER WELT’ (THE WORLD’S NEW ARCHITECTURE)1929PROGRAMME COVER DESIGN FOR THE FIRST RUSSIAN ART EXHIBITION1922PAGE EIGHT TATLIN AT WORK ILLUSTRATION FOR SIX TALES WITH EASY ENGINGS19212BLACK SPHERE1922PAGE NINEBEAT THE WHITES WITH THE RED WAVE1919-20PAGE TEN&ELEVENPROUN (PROJECT FOR PROGRESS) G71923PHOTOGRAPH OF LISSITZKY ON THE DNYEPROSTROY1932PAGE THIRTEENINTERNATIONAL FUR TRADE EXHIBITION: LEIPZIG: VIEWS OF EXHIBIT1930INTERNATIONAL PRESS EXHIBITION, PRESSA: COLOGNE: SOVIET PAVILION: THE LENIN CORNER1928PAGE FOURTEENPROPAGANDA BOARD AT A FACTORY, VITEBSIC ‘THE WORK BENCHES ARE WAITING FOR YOU... LET US GET PRODUCTION MOVING’1919SECOND EXHIBITION ROOM INTERNATIONAL EXHIBIT., DET. VIEW OF ROOM1928PAGE FIFTEENOF TWO SQUARES DUTCH1922’FOR THE VOICE’ BY MAYAKOVSKY1923PAGE SIXTEENADDITION, SUBTRACTION, MULTIPLICATION, DIVISION1932OF TWO SQUARES DUTCH VERSION PUB. IN “DE STIJL”1922PAGE SEVENTEEN&EIGHTEENPHOTOGRAPH OF LISSITZKY AT WORK ON THE ALBUM ‘FIFTEEN YEARS IN THE RED ARMY’ MOSCOW1934PAGE NINETEENPROUN 1 A, BRIDGE I1919UNTITLED1919/20INTERNATIONAL PRESS EXHIBITION, PRESSA: COLOGNE: SOVIET PAVILION: PART OF A MURAL1928COVER FOR PERIODICAL ‘WENDINGEN1923SUPREMATISM: STUDY FOR CURTAINS FOR MEETING ROOM OF COMMITTEE TO ABOLISH UNEMPLOYMENT WITH KAZIMIR MALEVICH1919PAGE TWENTY SOCIALIST CONSTRUCTION, DRESDEN1929COVER FOR A PROSPECTUS1924MONTAGE FROM BUILDING THE USSR, MOSCOW1933ILLUSTRATION FOR EHRENBURG’S ‘SIX TALES WITH EASY ENDINGS’ “HAND W/HEBREW LETTERS”1922WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE DESIGN FOR ‘DIE VIER GRUNDRICH NUMGRARTEN’1928INSIDE BACK COVERPHOTOGRAM1929BACK COVERTHE CONSTRUCTOR, SELF-PORTRAIT1924 20
Museum Of The Image Boschstraat 22 4811 GH BREDA
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