Wayne+Kleppe

=**старое монументальное искусство**= (the old monumental skill) w.Kleppe



To embed the career and life of oneself with the personal philosophy that the artist is an agent for change, is a weighted statement. Lazar Markovich Lissitzky (b. November 23rd 1890, d. December 30 1941) later summarized such an ideal with his edict, "das zielbewußte Schaffen" (The goal-oriented creation)(1). This statement is the pure, fundamental essence of the applied arts (design, engineering, architecture, and so on).

Born into a upper-middle class Jewish family in Pochinok, Lissitzky during his childhood lived and studied in Vitebsk and then later moved to Smolensk to study at the Smolensk Grammar School, where he lived for 10 years with his grandparents. As a child Lissitzky expressed not only an interest but a skill in free drawing and by age thirteen had started receiving traditional training from the local Jewish painter Jehuda Pen. By age fifteen he began teaching students himself (2). Come 1909 he applied to the St. Petersburg State Academic Institute of Fine Arts, Sculpture and Architecture in Russia, but was rejected despite the fact he excelled in the entrance exam, for under the Tsarist regime only a selected number of Jews were permitted expectance into schools and universities in Russia (regardless if they were of Russian blood or not, for the Tsar regime would not grant citizenship to Jews) (3).

Like so many other Jews at the time Lissitzky migrated to Germany to study, and in 1909 he attended the Technische Hochschule in Darmstadt, for architectural engineering. While in Germany Lissitzky discovered Constructivism (4) and German Expressionism (5), and although both still in there early stages of developing, each started to play a role in his architectural designs. Shortly after the breakout of World World I (August 1st 1914), Lissitzky was forced to move back to Russia with many of his other countryman, regardless of their ethnicity. In 1915 he moved to Moscow and attended the Polytechnic Institute of Riga, where he received his diploma, sometime between 1915 and 1918.

Directly after graduation Lissitzky went to work at varying firms where he took an interest in the development of ghettos (6) and Jewish culture, which after the fall of anti-semitism in Russia, became thriving, thus the now lifted ban on hebrew texts allowed Lissitzky to devote himself to Jewish art. During this same time he had started to illustrate children's books in Yiddish, which would become a field he would greatly innovate during his career (7). These books acted as different vehicles for Lissitzky's creative process.

The first in which allowed him to return to drawing, a childhood skill that architecture limited him in - at this present time in his life. The second being a means to convey his political standing and passion for Marxist ideals. An exemplary case study being, "Had gadya (One goat)," where, on the last page, one is to find the "hand of god," piercing the angel of death who is wearing the Tsar's crown. This illustration is to depict the Jewish victory of the Bolshevik's in the Russian Revolution (February Revolution). Another example being, "Di Hun vos hot Gevolt Hoben a Kom (The hen who wanted a comb)," where in which there are two colors printed; black and red, on white paper, (the Red being a symbol for Soviet Russia). And last, these children books gave him an opportunity to explore with typography. Lissitzky also created a colour system where the colour of the image would directly relate to the colour of the words for the image.

Upon request by Marc Chagall in 1919, Lissitzky was asked to come work at the newly formed People's Art School, as a teacher of graphic design, letterpress, and architecture. Along side of Lissitzky other notable artist, such as Kazmir Malevich, were asked to come and teach at the People's School. While in the presents of Malevich, Lissitzky was exposed to many new ideas and perceptions of the applied arts. Malevich, having already been a participant and advocator for such movements as Impressionism (8) and Cubism (9), became fixated on the development of a new movement he called, "Suprematism (10)." Malevich's excitement projected on to Lissitzky and both shortly there after projected supremacist ideals onto the entire school (shortly after Marc Chagall, who promoted more traditional teachings at the school, left due to the "new teachings").



Some of Lissitzky's most famous work comes from this period in his life, where himself and Malevich where further developing Suprematism. "Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge," a 1919 propaganda poster which depicts a "red wedge" penetrating a "white circle." At this point and time, the October Revolution was accruing (the second phase of the Russian Revolution), in which the Soviets (*red), dominated by the Bolsheviks, overthrew the Provisional Government (*white) that was in place (11). The simple but yet effective, design left little room for imagination in the viewers mind. Also notable about this poster is that fact that it was Lissitzky's first move "away" from Malevich's nonobjective style which laid in Suprematism.

Proun (pronounced: "pro - oon"), which stands for "projects for the establishment of new arts (12)," was Lissitzky's progression, evolution and exploration of Suprematism. Here Lissitzky applies spacial theories that he gained from his traditional training in architecture to what one might deem Minimalism (13). The use of "shifting axes" and several varying perspectives (negative depth; naught depth; positive depth), are most prevalent in this body of work, which spanned over half a decade. The work itself evolved from simple paintings and lithographs (14), to vast 3-dimensional installations, that later served as the basis for architectural designs. Simultaneously, this body also reintroduced Judaic themes and imagery into Lissitzky's work through the use of Hebrew text, which was greatly lost during his involvement with Malevich.

Come the end of 1921, Lissitzky relocated back to Germany (Berlin) and took up the position of culturural representative of Russia. This sudden migration can be attributed to two facts; 1) the split of Suprematism into two ideologically adverse halves, one of which favored the spiritual and the other a more utilitarian perspective (15) and; 2) the Povolzhye famine (Russian famine of 1921 - 1922), which became the focal source of social unrest throughout Russia during the Soviet's first year of rule, which in return caused many to flee to Germany for work and aid (16).

Upon moving to Berlin, Lissitzky gave up work on his Proun's, and became far more involved with architectural, propaganda and exhibit design, and in addition Lissitzky took up work writing, editing and illustrating for international design magazines and journals. This enabled Lissitzky to promote the current Avant Garde movement, which he was an active member in, and furthermore allow him to maintain connections with Russian and German designers and architects alike.

The experimentation that Lissitzky was doing with print media at this time, is by far the most distinguished work of his professional career. Come 1930 a son was born to Lissitzky, while still in Moscow, and as a birth announcement he designed a a photomontage (17) depicting his son laying wrapped in a blanket composited over a factory chimney, creating a direct correlation between his son, Jen, and Soviet Russia's industrial advancement.

Lissitzky took favor to the "book," as means of communication. "In contrast to the old monumental art [the book] itself goes to the people, and does not stand like a cathedral in one place waiting for someone to approach." (18) A analytical perspective of such words can be taken in several forms. First exercising his relationship with Stalin and Soviet Russia, along with his personal connection with Marxist ideals. And second, Lissitzky had perceived the book as a permanent object. One that was completely embedded with means to convey all forms of ideas, an object that would transcend space and time, and reach people of different cultures and interests. Such an ideal laced the thought of Lissitzky and his work, throughout his entire career.

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 * endnotes:**

(1, 18) El Lissitzky in Weimar Germany ([|http://spintongues.msk.ru/glazova27eng.htm).] El Lissitzky in Weimar Germany by Anna Glazor. Retrieved June 10th 2008.

(2) Henk Puts. "El Lissitzky (1890-1941): His Life and Work." El Lissitzky: Architect, Painter, Photographer, Typographer, ed. Jan Debbaut.

(3) Russian history, 1892–1917 ([|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_history%2C_1892-1920).] Retrieved June 9th 2008.

(4) Constructivism: the combination of geometric shapes / objects to create an abstract form (Vadym Meller; Louis Lozowick; Ella Bergmann-Michel)

(5) Expressionism: the distortion of an object to express an emotive quality (Karl Schmidt-Rottluff; Erich Heckel)

(6) ghettos: originally referring to where Jews were forced to live; italian translation "foundry"

(7) El Lissitzky ([|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Lissitzky).] Retrieved on June 11th 2008.

(8) Impressionism: visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on light and contrast (Claude Monet: Eugène Delacroix)

(9) Cubism: Freudian analysis; objects are broken up and reassembled to create abstract forms (Georges Braque; Juan Gris)

(10) Suprematism: the disregard for of natural shapes, focus on the creation of distinct geometric forms (Kazimir Malevich)

(11) Bolshevik Revolution ([|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolshevik_Revolution).] Retrieved on June 11th 2008.

(12) Phillip B. Meggs / Alston W. Purvis "Meggs' History of Graphic Design (4th edition)." p290.

(13) Minimalism: the deconstruction of objects and space; spare; stripped of essentials (Donald Judd; Richard Serra)

(14) lithography: a form of printmaking where a flat surface is treated, with pure gum arabic, to create an image loving area (grease and water not getting along)

(15) El Lissitzky ([|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Lissitzky).] Retrieved on June 12th 2008.

(16) Famine 1921-1922 ([|http://soviethistory.org/index.php?action=L2&SubjectID=1921famine&Year=1921).] Retrieved on June 12th 2008.

(17) photomontage: composited photos cut and laid over one another


 * bibliography:**

Meggs, Phillip B., and Purvis, Alston W. Meggs' History of Graphic Design (4th edt). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hoboken, NJ. 2006.

"El Lissitzky." Wikipedia. June 5th 2008. June 9 - 13 2008. 

"Monuments of the Future: Design by El Lissitzky." The J. Paul Getty Trust. 2000. June 9 - 13 2008. 

"El Lissitzky in Weimar Germany." Anna Glazova. June 9 - 13 20008. 