Bookvica

[SOVIET PHOTOGRAPHY] Osnovy kompozitsii v fotografii: Opyt opredeleniya osnov postroyeniya fotograficheskogo snimka [i.e. Fundamentals of Composition in Photography: Experience in Determining the Basics of Constructing a Photograph]

Troshin, N.

Item #2390

[Moscow]: akts. izd. o-vo «Ogonek», 1929. 118, [2] pp.: ill. 24.9x17.6 cm. In original publisher’s illustrated wrappers. Very light soiling of the front wrapper, but otherwise near fine.

Scarce. 1 of 9,000 copies. First and only edition. Text in Russian. With multiple black-and-white illustrations throughout.

Striking constructivist wrapper design and book layout by Olga Deyneko (1900-1970), a Soviet graphic artist and illustrator, Nikolay Troshin’s wife. Trained at Baron Stieglitz’s School and Vkhutemas, Deyneko worked extensively in watercolor and occasionally gouache. She co-authored lithographed educational books with her husband and produced numerous notable political posters.
An early Soviet study on the art of photography and the only known written work by renowned Soviet artist and photographer Nikolay Troshin (1897–1990). As follows from the foreword, the book was designed for experienced photography enthusiasts and was particularly useful for supervisors of photography circles. The edition consists of six chapters, each focusing on key elements of photographic composition: tone, volume, form, light, space, and composition. Surprisingly, given Troshin’s role as the leading artist of the state-run magazine SSSR na stroyke [i.e. The USSR Under Construction], the work takes a critical stance on contemporary Soviet photography. The author boldly claims that its quality «leaves much to be desired.» The edition features numerous photographs, highlighting both successful and weaker examples.

Contributors include notable Soviet photographers such as D. Debabov, B. Ignatovich, E. Nikiforova, V. Savelyev, A. Teleshev, V. Ulitin, S. Fridlyand, N. Chernyaev, A. Shaikhet, and N. Shtertser. The book concludes with a detailed glossary of photographic terms. Nikolay Troshin received his initial art education at the Penza Art College and then in Moscow the workshop of Ilya Mashkov (1918 - 1920). From 1918 he participated in exhibitions and was the primary artist for the magazine SSSR na stroyke [i.e. The USSR under Construction] (1930-1939), which featured the work of Rodchenko, El Lissitzky and other stars of Soviet photography. In the 1940s, Troshin earned a patent for inventing a method for chemically coloring photographs.

Worldcat shows copies of the edition at Fairleigh Dickinson University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Public Library System, Princeton University Library, Library of Congress, University of Illinois, and Getty Research Institute.

Price: $1,500.00