Lissette Collazo Art p. 94-101. El Lissitzky Lazar Markovich Lissitzky, known as El Lissitzky, was...
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- Slide 1
- Lissette Collazo Art p. 94-101
- Slide 2
- El Lissitzky Lazar Markovich Lissitzky, known as El Lissitzky,
was an important Russian Jewish artist His contemporary is Marc
Chagall Like Chagall he initially studied art in Vitebsk under
Yehuda Pen. He found it necessary to travel abroad to continue his
studies so in 1909 he moved to Germany and studied architectural
engineering. In Germany, he developed an interest in design,
specifically in Jewish art and writing. He illustrated Hebrew books
for children. Lissitzky, invited by Marc Chagall, joined the
faculty of a new art school formed by Chagall in 1919.. Lissitzky
became very interested in the Malevich movement Suprematism and
rejected figurative and narrative content in his art
- Slide 3
- El Lissitzky cont. Suprematism and Constructivism had
overlapping goals of creating new art for a new, modern society,
but THEY WERE SEPARATE MOVEMENTS Lissitzky developed a series of
abstract paintings focused on geometric forms called Proun Proun is
an acronym for project for the affirmation for the new Proun
reflects his belief that abstract art should hold meaning in
society This belief was received enthusiastically AFTER the
revolution Prounen, the names of the works in Proun, combined the
abstractions of Suprematism with Lissitzkys interest in
architecture
- Slide 4
- Even More El Lissitzky In Hanover in 1922, he has a solo
exhibition of his work at a gallery. He later married Sophie
Kuppers, whom he met at his solo exhibition. After an illness that
forced him to move to Switzerland, Lissitzky returned to Moscow in
1925 where he taught and further developed his interest in
architecture. During the late 1920s and 1930s, he produced imagery
that were used as propaganda for the government. He designed the
official Soviet pavilions for international exhibitions He also
served as a designer for the monumental All-Union Agricultural
Exhibition in Moscow in the late 1930s. He died in 1941 in Moscow
from tuberculosis contracted as a child
- Slide 5
- Visual Analysis of Proun (p.16) Dates from 1924 to 1925 Part of
a large group of images that were developed over many years It is
an abstract work, which means that it has no subject matter in a
traditional sense. Has the illusion of a landscape painting because
of the use of three dimension Collage made of various papers
colored with gouache, graphite, and varnish, along with ink and
watercolor on cream-colored cardboard. Prounen all had the same
title. Because of this the viewer is supposed to truly find meaning
in the work without a textual reference.
- Slide 6
- Proun cont. This work has a group of geometric shapes which are
all quadrilaterals mounted on a black background Shapes all made of
straight lines and they consist of long rectangles, spuares, and
rhomboids. Contrast between the black background and the red,
yellow, cream, and grey. Sense of depth by overlapping forms. Color
also used to create a sense of depth. The yellow appears to pop out
while the grey appears to recede in space. Lissitzky was
specifically inspired by Malevichs Suprematist movement, with its
focus on geometric forms and its goal of creating the ideal using
abstraction.
- Slide 7
- Contextual Analysis The movement toward abstraction in the 20
th century was politically meaningful. The content of abstract art
derived from the rejection of all beliefs and ideals that had come
before it. Breaking from all artistic conventions was an important
way of expressing a radical shift away from the values of the past.
Lissitzky intended for his Prounen to speak to the possibility of a
new order in society even though they were purposefully emptied of
narrative content.
- Slide 8
- Irakli Toidze While Lissitzky used abstraction and metaphor to
reference a new society, The Motherland Calls, a propaganda poster,
relied on familiar visual language to convey a very clear political
message. This work was one of the most iconic posters created in
the Soviet union during WWII, and it was used as a call to action
during a time of national crisis. Irakli Toidze, born in 1902, was
already a successful artist when he produced The Motherland Calls
in 1941. He studied at the Georgian Academy of fine Arts, where he
graduated in 1930. In the 1930s, Toidze designed posters depicting
Lenin that circulated in large numbers.
- Slide 9
- Irakli Toidze cont. Later, he created iconic portraits of
Stalin that became popular posters. His posters were important to
the cult of the heroic leader that the state promoted. He lived and
worked in Moscow. He earned titles such as honored Art Worker of
the Russian Federation and awards such as the USSR State Prize. He
probably wasnt seeking personal fame, rather, he most likely
considered himself to be fulfilling an important role in
society.
- Slide 10
- Visual Analysis of The Motherland Calls (p.17) This poster
relies on a strong central image and the contrast of black, white,
and red to create an impact. A mature woman is shown in the center.
Clothed in red, with a cloak, she looks right at the viewer. In her
right hand she holdsa text for the viewer to read. With her left
hand she gestures upward and behind her, where our eyes are drawn
to a seemingly endless line of bayonets. The implication is that
the woman stands between the viewer and the armed soldiers. She
serves as a rally for the soldiers as she at the same time engages
with the viewer directly, asking for sacrifice in a time of war.
The allegorical mother of the poster seems mature even though she
doesnt look physically old. Her expression is serious and
intense
- Slide 11
- The Motherland Calls cont. The text that she holds is an oath
of loyalty for the soldiers. Toidze placed a lot of emphasis on the
text by placing it in the forefront and allowing it to fill a large
portion of the poster. The title is in bold red letters at the top.
The woman appears to be gesturing to the title. The word motherland
was used to refer to the home nation, even though Russia was
traditionally a patriarchal society. The text here makes a double
reference to the mother of the motherland. The implication is that
the obligation to respond is both a matter of duty to the country
and family. The mother represents a protecting, life-giving force
that needs to be protected by her sons. The woman is said to be
modeled after Toidzes wife Tamara.
- Slide 12
- Contextual Analysis This work was intended to gain support
during a time of military crisis, as Nazi Germany had just invaded
the Soviet Union in an operation codenamed Barbarossa. The poster
successfully conveyed the dire situation faced by the soldiers and
ordinary people alike who faced the threat of invasion. This became
an iconic call to action during a time of national crisis, much
like the famous recruitment posters featuring Uncle Sam.
- Slide 13
- The Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building Designed by two
architects: Dmitry Chechylin and Andrei Rostovsky. Chechylin was
more well known and little information is available about Rostovsky
today. Chechylin was a prominent Soviet architect of Moscow from
1945 until 1949. He studied at Vkhutemas, a state-sponsored art and
technical school in Moscow. Graduated in 1929 and took on important
projects in Moscow in the 1930s In 1939 he designed the Moscow
Pavilion for the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition (remember that
El Lissitzky was involved in the later project) Chechylin also
created plans for the Zaryadye skyscraper, an eighth building of
Stalins Palaze of the Soviets plan that was never completed. Other
later projects: Moskva Pool built in 1958 and the Rossiya Hotel
built in 1967
- Slide 14
- Visual Analysis (p. 18) The Kotelnicheskaya Embankment is in an
area located along the northern bank of the Moskva River in Moscow.
It includes a main tower, thirty-tow stories high, which was
designed in 1947 and completed in 1952. There is also a lower,
nine-story apartment block facing the river. One section of this
lower apartment block predates the war: designed in 1938 and
completed in 1940. The main tower is in the shape of a hexagon with
three wings, which stand eighteen stories high. Overall design
identified as Soviet Classicism, which incorporates both gothic and
classical elements, as well as art deco details. The visual ascent
from the side wings up to the thin spire that crowns the tower
creates a strong sense of verticality. The lower parts of the block
are blocky, but the massive walls are opened up with many windows.
Rounded archways recall classical architecture, while the series of
pinnacles on top of the lower and higher towers lends a gothic
feel.
- Slide 15
- Contextual Analysis Stalin was aware of the power of
architecture to convey a message about the strength of the
government so he initiated many architectural projects. His main
vision was the Palace of the Soviets which was to include eight
buildings. Even though it was never completed, it was imagined as a
centerpiece for a series o skyscrapers. Seven of these skyscrapers,
often referred to as the Seven Sisters, were built between 1947 and
1952. When seen together, a characteristic style of Stalinistic
architecture, clearly inspired by Gothic examples, takes shape. The
seven buildings include the Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Apartments,
the Kudrinskaya Square Building, the Hotel Ukraina, the Hotel
Leningradskaya, the main building of Moscow State university, the
Red Gates Administrative Building, and the Ministry of foreign
Affairs. These buildings established a modern image for the city
and represented a new social order under Stalins rule.
- Slide 16
- Function The Kotelnicheskaya Embankment Building was designed
as a residential structure. This embankment was a state-funded
undertaking, and the government determined who could live there. It
was one of the more prestigious buildings designed in the height of
Stalinist architecture. Its apartments were at times reserved for
famous residents, including the ballet dancer Galina Ulanova.
- Slide 17
- Blind Mans Buff Artists Komar and Melamid are an artistic team
who created collaborative works, working first in Moscow in the
late 1960s through the early 1970s. The two artists are Vitaly
Komar and Alexander Melamid who were both born in Moscow. Both
artists attended the Moscow Art School from 1958 to 1960. they
continued their educations at the Stroganov Institute of Art and
Design from 1962 to 1967. They began collaborating in 1965 and had
their first joint exhibition in 1967. The political content of
their work questioned the authoritarian rule and it was made and
object of government censorship in 1969.
- Slide 18
- Komar and Melamid cont. In 1972 Komar and Melamid launched a
new movement they called Sots Art. Drawing on ideas from Pop Art in
the US, the Sots Art movement included the visual language of
Social Realism and put it to new use through ironic visual twists.
Although they were trained painters, they also used photography,
text, and performance. During the early 1970s they made portraits
of their family members in the style of iconic pictures of Stalin
and Lenin which were seen to be threats to the authoritarian rule.
They continued to have their work censored and were arrested in
1974 for creating art that did not conform to the governments
ideals.
- Slide 19
- They really like to talk about Komar and Melamid Also in 1974
they participated in an outside exhibit that was known as the
Bulldozer Show because the government didnt agree with the art
practices so much that they just decided to demolish the exhibit
using bulldozers. The artists then began to have some of their
pieces smuggled out of the Soviet union. The Ronald Feldman Gallery
in New York hosted Komar and Melamids first international exhibit
in 1976. The two artists were denied permission to leave the
country by the government. In response, they created their own
country, Trans-State, designing currency, passports, and a
declaration of independence. Both artists were permitted to leave
the Soviet Union in 1977.
- Slide 20
- Are We Done Yet?..... Almost First the artists settled in
Israel and eventually the US. In the early 1980s, they produced the
Nostalgic Socialist Realism series, a group of works that
appropriated the styleand imagery of official, government- approved
art. It was used to raise questions about totalitarianism. Other
well known series: Peoples Choice (1994-97) and The Asian Elephant
Art and Conservation Project (1995-2000) Their last major project
together was Symbols of the Big Bang, a group of works that
explored spirituality and science through ancient and invented
symbols. They had some of these pieced produced in stain glass and
put on exhibit at a show called Berlin-Moscow/Moscow-Berlin.
Government authorities didnt allow the work to be included in an
exhibit in Moscow in 2004.
- Slide 21
- Visual Analysis (p.19) Sometimes called Blindmans Bluff-a
popular childrens game that has roots in Asia and Europe. Variation
of the game tag. Komar and Melamids painting depicts this game
played indoors. A young girl, who is blindfolded, walks across the
floor with her arms outstretched. A man in a soldiers uniform
crouches on the floor. He turns his head to watch the girl. There
is a table with still-life objects, the soldiers hat and a small
pot. The table is covered in a red cloth, and red is a color
symbolic of the Communist Party. This red dominates the scene and
is also used for the walls and curtain. The room is undecorated
except for the picture of Stalin by the girls head.
- Slide 22
- Artistic Influences Blindmans Buff is reminiscent of European
Baroque art. Particularly like the works of Jan Vermeer. Vermeers
works focus on the relationship between a young woman and a young
man. They also focus on a moment that implies that there is an
untold story. The focus on the details in this piece, such as the
textures of the floor, curtain, and clothing, is reminiscent of
Vermeers paintings.
- Slide 23
- Contextual Analysis Komar and Melamid made very intentional
decisions in their pieces to convey a certain meaning. While
Lissitzky moved away from a narrative in his abstract works, Komar
and Melamid relied on narrative to make a statement. They
appropriated the art style that they wanted to critique. The
relationship between the soldier and the woman is unclear. The
narrative, and the relationship, is left up to interpretation. The
picture of Stalin appears in several of the images in this series,
referencing his omnipresence, even in the decades following his
death.