PHOTOMONTH IN KRAKOW — 2012
ALEXANDER RODCHENKO
ALEXANDER RODCHENKO. REVOLUTION IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Alexander Rodchenko, Portrait of the Artist’s Mother, 1924;
Collection of the Moscow House of Photography Museum
© A. Rodchenko – V. Stepanova Archive © Moscow House of Photography Museum
Aleksandr Rodchenko (1891–1956) was a Russian painter, illustrator, sculptor, designer, and photographer. Initially an abstractionist, he was then a leading Russian Constructivist, and finally the leader of the radical faction of the Constructivists—Productivism. He began taking photographs in 1924, and abandoned it after 1941.
His motto, “It is our duty to experiment,” can be sensed in all of his photographs: courageously framed, sometimes the lines run diagonally, the camera is aimed directly at the sky or down low from above. The pictures are filled with crowds of workers, sportspeople, passers-by on the streets; the contrasts are sharp. According to Rodchenko, photography was not only meant to reflect the world as it is, but also to shape it. After a period of praise, Rodchenko’s style was fiercely rejected by Soviet propaganda. For many years Socialist Realism reigned supreme.
ALEXANDER RODCHENKO. REVOLUTION IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Curator: Olga Sviblova
Grand opening: 21.05.2012, 6 p.m.
National Museum in Krakow, Main Building, al. 3 Maja 1
21.05–19.08.2012, TUE–SAT: 10 a.m.–6 p.m., SUN: 10 a.m.–4 p.m., CLOSED: 7.06
Organizers:
Moscow House of Photography Museum, Government of Moscow, Department of Culture of Moscow,
National Museum in Krakow
