by Marryellen Mcfadden

Russian Constructivist Graphic Design

1921

Older Lef (Left Front for the Arts) cover designed by Rodchenko, Russian Constructivist 1923.

The periodical, established by a group progressive artists in Moscow, was co-edited by Vladimir Mayakovsky and Rodchenko. The magazine, started in 1923, lasted until 1925, and then was revived again in 1927, lasting about one more year.

The Communist Party then demanded that socialist realism be the only graphic design direction for the new government. Constructivists’ work was condemned as too formalist.

Source: flickr

1927

Redesigned Novyi Lef cover by Rodchenko, Russian Constructivist 1927. Photography, the mechanical art for the mechanical age. The vertical panel reads Down with Bureaucracy!

Source: flickr

Redesigned Novyi Lef cover by Rodchenko, Russian Constructivist 1927.

Source: flickr

Novyi Lef cover designed by Rodchenko using his own photography 1927. Russian Constructivism.

Source: flickr

1928

Novyi Lef cover designed by Alexandr Rodchenko, Russian Constructivist 1928.

Source: flickr

Novyi Lef cover designed by Rodchenko using his own photography 1928. Russian Constructivism.

Source: flickr

Novyi Lef cover designed by Rodchenko using his own photography 1928.

Source: flickr

Redesigned Novyi Lef cover by Rodchenko, Russian Constructivist 1928.

Source: flickr

Cover for “Children and the Cinema” designed I think by Varvara Stepanova, (Rodchenko too?) Russian Constructivist 1928. The photomontage of Constructivism.

Source: flickr

1929

Russian Constructivist film poster utilizing photomontage, designed by Georgi and Vladimar Stenberg 1929.

Source: flickr

1931

Photomantage cover designed by El Lissitzky for the publication Artists’ Brigade1931. Russian Constructivism.

Source: flickr

1932

Inside double page spread from “The Results of the First Five-Year Plan” designed by Varvara Stepanova, Russian Constructivist 1932. The photomontage of Constructivism.

Source: flickr

1940

Cover for USSR Under Construction designed by Rodchenko 1940.

I wonder if that was Radio Moscow?

Source: flickr

1946

Cover for the periodical Poligraphic Production designed either by Stepanova or Rodchenko 1946. It’s sometimes difficult to tell who did what on their work.

I look at this and wonder if that’s a drum scanner or offset press rollers. The printing is much improved from the work done in the 1930’s. And how did they do the shadow-highlight on the letterforms? There was no software in those days to use to develop special effects, just tools such as airbrush.

Source: flickr

To be continued

Note: Komentar dari kolektor (Marryellen, pengajar desain grafis) - yang terkadang tercantum pada deskripsi masing-masing karya - sengaja tidak dihapus, karena bisa merupakan informasi yang berguna untuk melakukan penelitian yang lebih mendalam.

•••

« Previous Article Next Article »