El
Lissitzky was a painter, architect, graphic designer and a photographer. His
work strongly expresses the ideals of constructivism. Mathematical and
structural properties of architecture formed much of the basis for his art. He
developed a painting style he called PROUNS or “projects for the establishment
of new art”. He would also refer to this style as “an interchange station
between painting and architecture,” indicating a synthesis of architectural
concepts with painting. He called himself a constructor and as an artist and
designer he didn’t just decorate his designs but constructed them by visually
programming the total object.
In 1923, a book of Vladimir
Mayakovski’s poems called For the Voice
also translated as For Reading Out Loud was
designed by El Lissitizky. Using only elements from metal typecase and
composited by a German who knew no Russian. His intent was to interpret the
poems as a “violin accompanies a piano”. Evidenced in each poem’s title page,
illustrated with abstract elements that signified the poem’s content. He also
implemented die-cut tabs along the margin which enabled readers to quickly find
a poem. This organizational structure and visual interpretations was an
important step leading to his work shortly after.
The
Isms of Art, largely heralded as one of the most influential book designs
of the 1920s, was another important step in format and visual organization of
information. Designed and published by Lissitizky and Hans Arp was a
forty-eight page portfolio, illustrated pictorially implementing asymmetrical
balance, silhouette halftones and generous use of white space. The three column
horizontal grid used for the title page along with a three column vertical grid
used for the text laid down an architectural framework for organization of
information and the accompanying illustrations. Large bold sans-serif numbers
labeling the images were not only references to the captions earlier in the
text but were also important compositional design elements. This early
expression of the modernist aesthetic set a standard of excellence for design
for years to come. Typography Jan Tschichold would later write, “Lissitizky was
one of the great pioneers… His indirect influence was widespread and
enduring.... A generation that has never heard of him… stands upon his
shoulders.”
