Alexander Rodchenko

Date of birth: 5 December 1891, Saturday In St Petersburg, Russia

Date of death: 3 December 1956, Monday
Basic background:
His moter, named !"ga #$do%imo$na, &as a "aundress' (rom 19)8*191) Rodcen%o
&as a denta" tecnician at Denta" Scoo" o+ Dr' ,atanson' (rom 191)*191- e studied
art at te .a/an Scoo" o+ 0rt under ,i%o"ai (ecin, ten at te Strogano$ 0rt
Institute in Mosco&'
He &as te 1u1i" and assistant o+ 2"adimir 3at"in, and is &or% &as initia""y
in+"uenced by 4ubism, ten 4ubo*(uturism' His ear"y dra&ings and 1aintings
+o""o&ed te de$e"o1ments o+ Su1rematism and (uturism'
He &or%ed &it a &ide $ariety o+ media as a decorator, +urniture and teatre designer,
1rinter, 1ainter, scu"1tor, and 1otogra1er' 0+ter te Russian Re$o"ution o+ 1915,
Rodcen%o 6oined te 7o"se$i%s' He be"ie$ed in ne& o11ortunities +or art and
became acti$e in many a11"ications o+ art, i""ustration, commercia" designs, and
1otogra1y'
In 1981 Rodcen%o re1"aced 9assi"y .andins%y as 4airman o+ State Institute o+
0rtistic 4u"ture :I,.H;.< and 4airman o+ Museum 7ureau and Russian State 0rt
0c=uisitions 4ommission' In 1981 e co*&rote te 4onstructi$ist>s Mani+esto'
He co""aborated &it &riter and actor 2"adimir Maya%o$s%y, director 2se$o"od
Meyero"d, com1oser Dmitri Sosta%o$ic, +i"mma%er D/iga 2erto$, and many
oters' (rom 1983*1988 e co""aborated &it !si1 7ri% in te ?e+t (ront o+ 0rt
:?#(<' In 1985 Rodcen%o &on +our si"$er meda"s at Paris Internationa" #@ibition'
0"e@ander Rodcen%o became one o+ te +ounders o+ 4onstructi$ism and
Producti$ism in Russia' His inno$ations re$o"utioni/ed te art o+ sti"" 1otogra1y'
He used is camera as i+ it &as a dra&ing instrument' He mastered te use o+ 1oto*
montage, odd ang"es, &ide +rames, and 1oto*series' His &ay o+ 1otogra1ing +rom
unusua" and obscured $ie&1oints, e@1"oring te 1otentia" o+ sado&s, o1ened ne&
dimensions in 1oto*art' Rodcen%o sot is sub6ects +rom ig abo$e or be"o&
ang"es, to soc% te $ie&er and to 1ost1one recognition'
He made im1ortant 1oto*1ortraits o+ actress ?i"ya 7ri%, &riter !si1 7ri%, actor
2"adimir Maya%o$s%y, director 2se$o"od Meyero"d, director D/iga 2erto$, director
0"e%sandr Do$/en%o, and oter Russian cu"ture "uminaries' He a"so organi/ed many
1otogra1y e@ibitions' Rodcen%o &as te art director in se$era" So$iet*made
+i"ms' His most inno$ati$e and interesting &or% &as is gra1ic design and montage
&or%s +or ad$ertisements and mo$ie 1osters, &ic &as is ma6or contribution to
+i"m*1oster art' His 1osters +or suc +i"ms as >7att"esi1 Potem%in> :1985<, >.inog"a/>
:198-<, and oter &or%s, are regarded among te igest acie$ements in +i"m*1oster
art'
In 1988 Rodcen%o &rote a mani+esto tit"ed A0gainst te Syntaetic Portrait, (or te
Sna1sotA in &ic e argues +or te documentary ob6ecti$ity o+ 1otogra1y'
ASna1sots a""o& no one to idea"i/e or +a"si+y ?eninA, &rote Rodcen%o' He &as soon
attac%ed by Sta"inists and &as accused o+ su11orting 3rots%y and is ideas' His
e@ibitions &ere cance""ed, e &as dismissed +rom ma6or 1ro6ects and 6obs' (or many
years e &as de1ri$ed o+ "i$e"iood' 3at caused im a de1ression, ig b"ood
1ressure, and oter ea"t 1rob"ems' Rodcen%o &as o++icia""y carged &it
Abourgeois +orma"ismA and is 1otogra1y &as censored and banned +rom 1ub"ic
so&s' Ho&e$er, +rom 193-*1938, e &as commissioned to ma%e se$era" 1oto*
a"bums +or So$iet 1ro1aganda, suc as: A7e"omor*%ana" imeni Sta"inaA and A.rasnaya
0rmiaA :Red 0rmy 1938<' Rodcen%o made a beauti+u" 6ob, but remained under
sus1icion during many years o+ te dictatorsi1 o+ Bose1 Sta"in'
0"e@ander Rodcen%o &as in o11osition to Socia"ist rea"ism' (rom te "ate 193)>s to
te end o+ is "i+e e &as +orced to =uit 1otogra1y amidst te 1aranoia o+ Sta"inist
censorsi1' He returned to 1ainting s1oradica""y a+ter 19-8, made a series o+ abstract
decorati$e com1ositions, but is art &as ostraci/ed' He "i$ed in 1o$erty and obscurity
+or te "ast t&enty years o+ is "i+e' Rodcen%o &as constant"y arassed by o++icia"s
+or is art, is membersi1 in te ;nion o+ So$iet 0rtists &as cance""ed, and e &as
made an outcast' His membersi1 &as restored on"y in 195-, a+ter te deat o+ Sta"in'