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[EXPRESSIONISM OF THE 1930s] Osen-vesna. Stihi i poemy [i.e. Autumn-Spring. Poems]

Zharov, A.A.

Item #437

Moscow: OGIZ, 1933. 42, [2] p., 25 ill. 30х23 cm. Original publishers binding. Fine condition. Twenty five full-page illustrations by Yuri Pimenov (1903-1977), as well as the design of endpapers.

Pimenov is best known for his concept of ‘revived impressionism’ in his art, being one of the most popular Russian artists of XX century. Pimenov also was working
in book and poster design in 1920-1940s.

Originally influenced by German expressionists Pimenov also was one of the forming members of OST group (along with Shterenberg, Daineka, Annekov and other VKHUTEMAS graduates). OST was divided in two groups ‘projectionists’ and ‘concretivists’, and three artists were separate from that structure, those where Pimenov, Daineka and Goncharov.

OST always was proclaiming its connection to the European surrealists and expressionists, and Yuri Pimenov was probably their strongest link. In 1932 OST
was closed after the decree ‘On the transformations of writers’ and artists’ unions’. That decree marked the beginning of the fight against ‘formalism’ (i.e. avant-garde, constructivism, abstract art) in Soviet culture.

The design for this collection of poems of the proletarian poet Alexandr Zharov is done by Pimenov in blunt expressionist manner with the elements of book
constructivism. Richly coloured chromolithographic plates are printed on the special paper. Because of the size of the book and its quality it’s quite different from the usual OGIZ production of the time. This book could be one of the last examples of Russian expressionist book-design as the tendency has changed and social realism was becoming to take over.

Very rare, especially in such mint condition.

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