El (Lazar Markovich) Lissitzky
(1890 - 1941)
Contrasts and Contradictions
There were a lot of contrasts and contradictions in the research of this theme— El Lissitzky. Which years he was in Germany or elsewhere. Was he a Constructivist? Suprematist? Dadaist? Who influenced him and who did he influence? Even his name varied in the different resources.
For someone who was an influence on modern style— typography, graphic design, book design, photomontage, etc., he seems to remain obscure in some art databanks, at least for now, on the Internet. This might be due to being an architect and designer, rather than foremost being a painter.
Involved in many artistic movements of the early 20th century, he worked alongside and influenced many other artists, and is (mainly) considered a Constructivist, part of the Russian Avant-Garde.
Alternate name/spellings:
- Lazar Markovich Lissitzky— this is the most common
- Lazar Markovitch L.
- Lasar
- Eliezar
- Eliezer
- Lisitzky
- Lissitsky
- Lizzitsky
- El Lisitskij (from an Italian website)
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Art Movements
Of the many art movements in Russia and throughout Europe, Lissitzky was an important link. Called the Father of International Constructivism. Not just visiting Western Europe, he became actively involved in many of the art movements there. As a teacher, book designer, typographer, and editor, he brought ideas from, and back to Russia, integrating style and philosophy.
These are some of the movements he either participated in, or worked with or visited.
| Art Movements |
| Constructivism |
De Stijl |
| Suprematism |
Bauhaus |
| Russian Avant-Garde |
Futurism |
| Cubism |
Dada |
Constructivism
Many other Russian and Western European Artists were influencial in the artistic schools and ideologies of the post-World War I era. The "Russian Avant-Garde" seems to include Constructivists as well as the Supremicists.
"Constructivism, Russian art movement of the early 20th century that had an important influence on later schools of art. Founded by Vladimir Tatlin, constructivism was so named for its program of "constructing" abstract sculptures from miscellaneous industrial materials, such as metal, wire, and pieces of plastics. Tatlin, whose relief constructions of 1913-17 were the first works of the movement, was joined before 1920 by Aleksandr Rodchenko (1891-1956), El Lissitzky (1890-1941), Naum Gabo, and Antoine Pevsner, among others. Although the movement split into several factions in the 1920s, in general it stood for the ideals of abstraction, functionalism, and utilitarianism. It had an important influence on mid-20th-century sculpture, architecture, and especially industrial design, where its advocacy of modern materials and clean design reinforced the emerging aesthetic of functionalism."
Others involved in the Constructivist arts were Alexi Gan, Vavara Stepanova, brothers Vladimir and Georgii Stenberg, Nathan Altman and Vladimir Mayakovsky, even Kandinsky is mentioned in some references.
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Other Artists
There are many others who Lissitzky met in Europe. In this group are Hans (Jean) Arp, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and Kurt Schwitters, to name a few.
Other Credits
The Russian Experiment in Art: 1863-1922 by Camilla Gray, 1962. Harry N. Abrams, Publishers, New York.
Comments
This project is research on a theme, El Lissitzky, done by
Adrea Moss in 1999. Email: adream@sonic.net.
For other online sites about Lissitzky see links page.