Item #1381 [TATLIN] Tatlin (Protiv Kubizma) [i.e. Tatlin (Against Cubism)]. N. Punin.
[TATLIN] Tatlin (Protiv Kubizma) [i.e. Tatlin (Against Cubism)]
[TATLIN] Tatlin (Protiv Kubizma) [i.e. Tatlin (Against Cubism)]
[TATLIN] Tatlin (Protiv Kubizma) [i.e. Tatlin (Against Cubism)]
[TATLIN] Tatlin (Protiv Kubizma) [i.e. Tatlin (Against Cubism)]
[TATLIN] Tatlin (Protiv Kubizma) [i.e. Tatlin (Against Cubism)]

[TATLIN] Tatlin (Protiv Kubizma) [i.e. Tatlin (Against Cubism)]

St. Petersburg: Gos. izdatel’stvo, 1921. Item #1381

25, [2] pp., 16 ills. 30,5x23,5 cm. In original publisher’s printed wrappers. Spine chipped, with a tear, some stains on the covers, otherwise very good.

Scarce. First edition. Dedicated to the students of Free State Studios in Petrograd.
Written by the Russian art scholar Nikolay Punin (1888- 1953) in 1921, this is one of the most important books in the history of Russian avant-garde. The edition represents the first attempt at analyzing the works of the central figure of Russian Constructivism and a close friend of the author, Vladimir Tatlin (1885-1953). Punin starts his monograph by criticizing French art and its devotion to the depiction of the illusion of life. Against this background, the art critic distinguishes new Russian art as the only salvation from the “romantic symbolism” of the Impressionists and Cubists. Punin meticulously analyzes Tatlin’s oeuvre and describes the artist as a cultural pioneer - a champion of the new era when “art is starting to become the presentiment and reflection of life.” The author praises Vladimir for his abandonment of stylistic priorities in favor of surfaces and materials, thus avoiding the mistakes of Cubism. Finally, Punin argues that Tatlin initiated the same innovations in art as the French Cubists and even surpassed them due to his particular focus on surfaces.
The text is accompanied by Tatlin’s portrait and 15 black and white illustrations showing his major works, including his biggest, yet unrealized project Monument to the Third International (1919-1920) (also known as Tatlin’s Tower).
Vladimir Tatlin was central to the birth of Russian Constructivism. Often described as a “laboratory Constructivist,” he took lessons learned from Pablo Picasso’s Cubist reliefs and Russian Futurism and began creating objects poised between sculpture and architecture. In 1905, he started, and in 1910, successfully completed his studies at the N.Selivestrov Penza Art School. Initially trained as an icon painter, he soon abandoned traditionally pictorial concerns of painting and instead concentrated on the possibilities inherent in the materials he used. Tatlin achieved fame as an architect who designed the Monument to the Third International. This design for the Communist International headquarters was realized as a model but never built. It crystallized his desire to bring about a synthesis of art and technology and has remained a touchstone of that utopian goal for generations of artists since.

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