Aleksandr Rodchenko: Photography in the Time of Stalin

In the early Soviet Union, Aleksandr Rodchenkos photography explored the complex relationship between technology, modernism, and state power. His work between the late 1920s and 1930s questioned his modernist commitments and revealed experiments in adjacent media, such as collaborative design with Varvara Stepanova. Glebova's book offers a fresh perspective on Rodchenko's heterodox practice.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 22 November 2022
Publisher: Yale University Press

Through the captivating lens of Aleksandr Rodchenkos photography, a fresh and thought-provoking perspective emerges on the complex interplay between technology, modernism, and state power in the Soviet Union under Stalin's rule. In her insightful book, Aglaya K. Glebova delves into the evolving significance of photography in the early Soviet Union, challenging the conventional notion that the critical avant-garde came to an end during this period.

Aleksandr Rodchenko (1891–1956), a versatile Russian artist and one of the founding figures of Constructivism, embraced photography as a medium of revolutionary modernity. However, his photographic work between the late 1920s and the end of the 1930s reveals an expansive quest for a distinct visual language.

In the backdrop of the drastic transformations initiated under the first Five-Year Plans, Rodchenkos photography posed profound questions about his own modernist beliefs. At the core of this book lies Rodchenkos renowned 1933 photo-essay on the White Sea–Baltic Canal, the site of one of the earliest gulags. Glebova's meticulous analysis of Rodchenkos photography unveils a surprisingly heterodox practice, shedding light on his experiments in adjacent media, particularly the collaborative design work he undertook with his partner in art and life, Varvara Stepanova.

Through the lens of Rodchenkos photography, Glebova offers a profound exploration of the intricate relationship between art, politics, and power in the early Soviet Union. Her book serves as a valuable addition to the literature on this remarkable and enduring figure, providing a fresh perspective on a period that continues to shape our understanding of modern history.

Weight: 1000g
Dimension: 263 x 189 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780300254037