The paintings of A.M. Rodchenko are not accidentally recognized by a number of authoritative critics as masterpieces of world art. During his long life, the famous Soviet painter managed to create several copyrighted illustration techniques, came up with unique methods of working with photography, became the founder of advertising in the USSR and the first Soviet designer.
The genius of the artist allowed Rodchenko to realize himself in painting, graphics, poster painting, sculpture, photography, decoration, advertising and design.
Rodchenko's paintings are highly regarded among lovers of contemporary art and are often purchased by collectors for private vaults. Most of the artistâs works are exhibited in contemporary art galleries in Russia and the CIS countries.
Biography
Alexander Mikhailovich Rodchenko was born on November 23, 1891 in St. Petersburg, in a family of theatrical props and laundresses. The childhood of the future genius of art passed in an atmosphere of hunger, poverty and constant hard work. In 1902, Alexander's father, Mikhail Mikhailovich, transported his family to Kazan, where he finds a higher-paying job. In the same city, Sasha receives his first education, graduating with honors from the Kazan Parish Primary School.
early years
Having completed the first stage of training, Rodchenko enters the Kazan Art School, where the famous artist N. I. Feshin became the mentor of the young painter. A competent teacher immediately noticed the artistic talent of the young man and recommended that Sasha continue her studies in a more professional institution. Rodchenko's paintings of that period were distinguished by the strong influence of futurism and cubism. Sasha depicted human silhouettes made up of various geometric shapes, actively experimenting with color and shape, trying to achieve a lack of proportion and express an artistic idea not through the prism of realism, but to convey it figuratively.
Revolutionary art
In 1914, Alexander Rodchenko met with Varvara Stepanova, who also studied fine art with N. I. Feshin. Two years later, young people finish their studies and move to Moscow, living in a civil marriage. According to the memoirs of Stepanova, her and Rodchenko throughout their life together were united by an incredible craving to create something new in art, to consider those parallels and unique manifestations that no one had paid attention to before.
The next year, 1916, Rodchenko spends in the army, having received a position in the supply sector.
Returning from service, the young man immediately decides to become a member of the new union of artists-painters created by revolutionary-minded creators.
Despite the near-political conversations among the masters of the brush, the union did not promote any political ideology. Soon the association was called the âYoung Federationâ, and Alexander Rodchenko was elected as his artistic and political leader. From now on, one of the main goals of the union is the struggle for normal conditions for the existence and work of young creators. The older generation, to which contemporaries are beginning to attribute Rodchenko himself, is actively engaged in the implementation of various orders from the sphere of art.
Recognition in the artistic environment
The modern composition of paintings by Alexander Rodchenko attracts the attention of representatives of the new government, the artist is appointed the main designer of several important objects. After completing the painting of buildings, Rodchenko is appointed head of the department of fine arts of the People's Commissariat for Education and the head of the Museum Bureau.
During this period, Alexander was actively engaged in the development of conceptual compositions, which are a series of paintings and illustrations made in the technique of early cubism. The artist begins to explore the genre of minimalism, trying to convey his fortune with just a few black touches on wax paper. Later, these works will become classics of domestic minimalism and will give a big impetus to the development of Soviet and Russian graphics.
Since the mid-1910s, the paintings of the artist Rodchenko have received the highest awards at exhibitions dedicated to new Russian art. Representatives of the avant-garde, minimalism, cubism, futurism and expressionism are gradually uniting in the community of free art.
Alexander Mikhailovich has always regarded art as a way of searching for new forms and ways of expressing feelings. Also, the artist was in a constant process of experimentation, paying attention to drawing and radical minimalism.
- 1917-1918 years. At this time, the paintings of avant-garde artist Rodchenko became role models and sources of inspiration for many beginning authors. Quite simple in form of execution and filled with deep meaning, the artistâs work in the style of âflat paintingâ receive high marks from his contemporaries.
- 1919 year. Rodchenko writes his famous painting âBlack on Blackâ. All the masterâs works of this period relate to the technique of âtextured paintingâ, Alexander Mikhailovich defines the texture as âthe basis of the entire artistic direction of the eraâ, actively experimenting with various types and types of matter, iron, glass. Rodchenkoâs painting instantly becomes the standard of âtextured paintingâ.
- 1919-1920 years. The main elements of the painting of Alexander Mikhailovich of this period are lines and punctuation marks. The artist considered these symbols to be incredibly important elements of his individual creative culture.
- 1921 year. Constructivism in the paintings of Alexander Rodchenko reaches its peak. At the Moscow exhibition, the master demonstrated a triptych of three colors without adding any other shades. Only three colors were involved in the work: yellow, blue and red).
Conceptualism in the works of Rodchenko
The most characteristic conceptual ideas of the artist were manifested in works on constructions of three-dimensional elements. The master worked hard on gypsum, cardboard, iron, glass and vinyl products, creating spatial designs filled with artistic originality and philosophical meaning.
- 1918 - âFolding and disassemblingâ - cardboard figures connected by the method of mortise fastening were used in the work.
- 1921 - âPlanes reflecting lightâ - a composition made of the same size of various geometric shapes, painted with silver paint and suspended from a special frame.
- 1921 - âOn the principle of identical shapesâ - a series of works from identical wooden blocks stacked into different shapes. In each figure, a different construction of the bars was used.
Photographer Activities
Rodchenko's photographic work is an example of the first Soviet photograph created using post-processing technology and photo collage. Alexander Mikhailovich worked in the genre of psychological portraiture. He paid great attention to illuminating the personâs face and the emotional component of his gaze.
Rodchenko was also the first to guess the use of photomontage techniques in book design. A striking example is his work, done for Vladimir Mayakovsky, who later became a great friend of the artist.
Since 1925, the master begins to exhibit his work in various art galleries, immediately presenting a series of photographs:
- 1925 - âHouse on Myasnitskayaâ - a series of works dedicated to the unique building on Myasnitskaya Street, which Rodchenko photographed under various lighting conditions throughout the year.
- 1926 - âThe House of Mosselpromâ - a similar work, which, however, took much more time from the artist.
Work with government
The Soviet government highly appreciated the paintings of Alexander Mikhailovich Rodchenko, and in 1933 the artist joined the squad of creative people secretly aimed at the construction of the White Sea Canal. The groupâs goal was âbuilding positive lightingâ. Rodchenkoâs assignment also included the arrangement of photo laboratories in the branches of the Gulag.
The artist brilliantly completed his work by making about two thousand photographs, and it was his photographs that were used in the design of the book on the construction of the Belomorkanal, which was written by a team of writers led by Maxim Gorky.
Design and advertising
Rodchenko's paintings were actively used as covers for various literary and theatrical magazines. The artist himself repeatedly acted as the author of the design of a publication, for example, Alexander Mikhailovich worked on a regular basis with the magazine "USSR at a Construction Site", often illustrating articles with his photographs.
The artist also took part in the creation of a large number of advertising posters for the Soviet circus. In 1938-1940, he created a large number of advertising collages and other photo works on this topic.
Author style
The individual artistic style of the master was manifested, first of all, in a constant desire for a new, unknown. It is no accident that the paintings by Alexander Rodchenko with titles like âAbstractionâ or âPointless Compositionâ reflect, first of all, the authorâs presence in the search process. Rodchenko himself did not fully realize what he was looking for in art, and it was thanks to this state that brilliant works came out from under his brush.