art

Rated & Retarded: Rodchenko

First up, an interesting fact; the average Londoners this week will see 4.6 adverts for the Quantum of Solace release on DVD, which is approximately the same number of times the average Londoner will make eye contact on the Tube in a day.

It’s a bit surreal when you consider the above fact alongside the likelihood that only a small percentage of Londoners will make it down to see the Rodchenko & Popova exhibition that is running at the Tate Modern until 17 May.

Rodchenko and Popova were some of the founding fathers of constructivism which was an artistic movement loosely based on the premise that art should feature in every strand of life, from political messages to film posters using avant garde methods for the time (early 20th century Russia). This bred an exciting period of Soviet art which merged the mundane of everyday life with abstract and thought-provoking output. Albeit the celebration of which is somewhat subdued by how events transpired afterwards (i.e. Stalin) and the fact that constructivist styles were often used to carry the message of Communism. The style remains influential today across many disciplines. Below is one of Rodchenko’s more famous works, which you recognise as it influenced Franz Ferdinand’s first album cover.

If you are too lazy to pop down and see it, at least check out this 8 minute documentary about Rodchenko and the Russian Avant Garde…

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