Page 17 - Studio International - March 1972

paradigm for allowing a more profound insight longer subject to the finite measure possible in III
into the workings of the cosmos. Indeed, in a the planimetric and perspectival systems. The Russian Revolution often served as a symbol
little known article of 1927, Lissitzky chided the Suprematism, and particularly Malevich, are to represent the rupture with the past that had
Bauhaus for retaining romantic notions of the credited with significant breakthroughs in the occurred in art. In 'Das Lebensfilm von El bis
value of hand craftsmanship for so long before achievement of this new concept of space, which 1926', for example, the Revolution is pictured
finally embracing the machine.' Just as I have introduces a sense of movement of forms both in as a 'wedge' separating yesterday from
demonstrated the continuity of Lissitzky's art front of and behind the picture plane. From this tomorrow and forcing everyone to choose
through the alleged rupture in his development dynamism, the element of time, the fourth between one or the other. In 'Die Katastrophe
after meeting Malevich in 1919,8 so too it is dimension, is introduced. Finally, Lissitzky der Architektur' Lissitzky asserts it would be
wrong to mistake changes in tone in his writings describes 'imaginary space', based principally `counter-revolution' to hold on to forms from
for changes in substance. on the quality of movement. Lissitzky sees this the past now that the Revolution has taken
Third, and most important for our over-all imaginary space particularly well reflected in the place, and ` SS SR's Architektur' depicts the
picture of Russian avant-garde art, is the cinematic experiments of Viking Eggeling and, Revolution as the crucial factor in changing the
significance of Lissitzky's ability to enclose of course, it refers back to the importance of the new efforts in architecture from mere fumbling
Constructivism in this Suprematist shell. artist's imagination so forcefully stressed by efforts to meaningful concepts.
Lissitzky simply did not share the later view of Malevich. But for Lissitzky until about 193o the
the opposing nature of these isms. The 'fence' Proun was to explore precisely this world of Revolution was to remain only a symbol of the
we have seen Lissitzky straddling between `imaginary space', which was heavily indebted changes in art and architecture. It remained
Suprematism and Constructivism for him just to scientific and philosophical theories. Lissitzky terribly significant that these changes had begun

did not exist. Instead Lissitzky cited certain specifically referred to Lobachevsky in 'K. und before the upheaval of 1917. The October
11
differences in emphasis among artists - Pangeometrie', and there is no question that Revolution in art originated much earlier,"
Malevich's concern with optical effects, Tatlin's Lissitzky derived from the mathematician 'a Lissitzky asserted, with the period of political
with tactile values, for example9 - while Tatlin's parabolically bent space defined by the and social agitation causing simply a hiatus in
Monument to the Third International becomes not interaction of shapes' 3 that we find in Proun. the progress of art. 'During the period of the
a representation of Constructivism, but rather Einstein's theory of space-time was known, of Revolution a latent energy accumulated in our
serves as 'the first work of the new generation, course, by Lissitzky, and it formed a major young generation of artists, which merely i
which is demanding of itself invention, contribution to Lissitzky's discussion in his awaited the great mandate from the people for it
elementary design, clear construction, and article 'Proun' of the process by which space is to be released and deployed'.18 This precedence
mastery of material'. 10 Or, put another way, the defined. Schopenhauer's concept of the world of art in relation to the rest of society, which I
basic similarities between Tatlin and Malevich, in a constant state of flux must also be considered. have already mentioned in Lissitzky's prediction
between Constructivism and Suprematism can The impact of Hegel's theory of dialectical of Suprematism superceding Communism
be demonstrated by contrasting these works to aesthetics on the internal dynamism of the and which Higgens has examined with great
what Lissitzky termed the 'rubbish heap' of a forms in Proun has been discussed by Baljeu," insight, often stimulated Lissitzky to ignore
Kandinsky." This close tie between Tatlin and and Andrew Higgens recently made the political and social events as they might affect
Malevich then supports the effort made by perceptive observation on the connection of the art altogether. Thus 'K. mid Pangeometrie'
Troels Andersen in Moderne Russisk Kunst advent of the Hegelian Spirit to Russian avant- can follow the evolution of space in painting
1910-193o to reconsider our customary garde art15 Indeed the overriding idealistic from Egyptian art to the present without
interpretation of these artists as opposed. One notion of Spirit over Matter, which Lissitzky venturing into extra-artistic matters, and the
may now wish to include Lissitzky in this stressed in `Unser Buch', for example, illustrates journal V eshch, edited by Lissitzky and Ilya
needed re-evaluation as well. one additional bond between Lissitzky and Ehrenburg, flatly stated its intention to avoid
Suprematism. politics since the journal `is not occupied with
II The pictorial dynamism generated by the the problems of politics, but of art'. Lissitzky
Basic to Lissitzky's concept of art, which he Suprematists would extend, Lissitzky added that this policy did not reflect a desire
placed under the name Proun, was the idea of contended, to include the spectator as well. As for an apolitical art divorced from contemporary
space-time. Lissitzky was struck by the impact one looks at a Proun composition and observes events. `On the contrary, we cannot imagine a
of modern discoveries in rendering the earth the continual shift in the forms' creation of new forms in art unrelated to the
increasingly smaller but which 'expanded our interrelationships, the spectator begins to change in social form'. But on the question of
space and quickened our time'.12 Lissitzky conceive of himself in movement, looking on which force, art or politics, ultimately was to
attempted to include this dynamic, expanded these forms from a number of vantage points. influence the other, Lissitzky obviously implies
space in Proun, and he devoted the article It was this goal of including the spectator the primacy of art. The artist emerges as that
`K. und Pangeometrie' to a discussion of dynamically within the work of art that led prophetic figure I have already mentioned or, t
the development of space in the history of Lissitzky to move from these experiments in put it in contemporary terms, he becomes the
art. painting and graphics to actual three- zhiznostroitel, or the builder of life itself.
The treatment of space is placed under four dimensional space in his Prounenraumen. In the Changes in this heroic notion of the artist
broad classifications as parts of an evolutionary Proun Rooms, the entire visual configuration and architect become visible in Lissitzky's
sequence in the history of art. First, Lissitzky changed as the spectator moved, thanks to the writings toward the end of the 1920s. Vieri
points to 'planimetric space', in which the addition of differently-toned slats set Quilici first observed this change in Lissitzky's
integrity of the two-dimensional picture plane perpendicular to the walls. Lissitzky's constant Russland. Instead of the zhiznostroitel, the
is respected and only the overlapping of forms search for a true implementation of architect simply translates into architectural
suggests the presence of the third dimension. contemporary theories of space-time provides a fact the ideas already developed within the
Second, he cites 'perspectival space', most basic leitmotif for his work through most of masses. The architect is reduced to merely an
familiar in Renaissance painting and its tradition the 1920s. In 1926 Lissitzky called for the `active co-worker in the creation of the new
and based on Euclidian principles producing a creation of an architecture of space and time as world'.19 Whereas architecture in the west arises
`motionless three-dimensionality'. Third is the culmination of these experiments in Proun.16 out of certain technological developments, in
`irrational space', so called because space is now That this dream was not effected is due to the Russia, Lissitzky writes, 'October 1917, our
defined according to varying intensities of colour impact of political decisions, which lead us now Revolution begins and with it a new page in the
and positions among the forms and hence no to part three. history of human society. The basic elements of
91