Alexander Rodchenko | Widewalls

The founder of Russian Constructivism, artist Alexander Rodchenko worked as a graphic designer, photographer, painter, and sculptor. Early in his career, he rejected established artistic aesthetics and dedicated himself to bringing art to the masses. In his work, he pushed the boundaries through experimentation and successfully launched new aesthetics. Today his works are part of several prominent public and private collections, including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, and The Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Russian Avant-Garde

Aleksander Mikhailovich Rodchenko was born in 1891 in St. Petersburg, Russia, but grew up in Kazan, far away from any artistic influence. Interested in art from a young age, he found inspiration in art magazines. After graduating from Kazan Art School, he relocated to Moscow and entered Stroganov Institute. Upon seeing works by avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich, he completely changed his artistic expression, adopted Suprematism, and began creating abstract drawings. Another influential figure in his early career was artist Vladimir Tatlin for whom he worked as an assistant. In 1916 he participated in the exhibition The Store, organized by the artist. Rodchenko aimed to remove expressive brushwork and used a ruler and a compass to accentuate dynamic diagonal compositions.

However, by 1921 he abandoned the medium when he presented to the public the first series of monochromes – Pure Blue Color, Pure Red Color, and Pure Yellow Color. The artist said:

I reduced the painting to its logical conclusion and exhibited three canvases: red, blue, and yellow. I affirmed: it’s all over.

Soviet State Posters

The artist was heavily involved with the Bolshevik party and believed that art could be used for social transformation. Later as a member of the Productivist movement, he began creating art forms that could be mass-produced and become part of the daily lives of common people, such as textiles, clothing, and furniture. The posters Rodchenko produced, such as Books (1924), supported Bolsheviks’ propaganda making him the icon of the Soviet State. Influenced by works by German Dadaists, the artist began experimenting with photomontage producing such works as About That (1923).

Unfortunately, once Stalin came to power, Alexander Rodchenko’s works fell out of favor. Social Realism rejected the artist’s ideas which it viewed as heretical.    

To make a living, Rodchenko became a photographer for state magazines. Most of the works from this era portrayed the power of the Communist Party to the exclusion of the truth. Yet even working in a limited capacity, he still experimented with the medium, shooting his subjects from odd angles. Rodchenko said:

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.

The Artist’s Legacy

Rodchenko’s work influenced generations of artists, spurring several key movements, including Minimalism and monochrome. He pushed the boundaries of graphic design and paintings and defined the compositional paradigms of photography which paved the way for modern photographic art. Alexander Rodchenko passed away in 1956.

Featured image: Photo of Alexander Rodchenko. Copyright of the artist