For two months Moscow exhibition complex Manezh, located in the very heart of the Russian capital (on Manezhnaya Square), has hosted photos of Alexander Rodchenko.

Alexander Rodchenko is a famous Russian photographer, a pioneer of Russian photographic avant-garde, whose works now are considered to be classic. His most well-known photos are Lilya Brick, wearing a head scarf and crying something out loud; Mayakovsky, smoking a cigarette; athletes, walking on a sport parade; Soviet workers, building bright future and others – this is one could have seen and admired, if they managed to drop to Manezh for a couple of hours.

Alexander Rodchenko made various photos – he photographed from the top and from the lowest points, in diagonal direction, using sharp camera angle and harsh contrast black and white. He never made his masterpieces from the eye level, like other photographers, who said “photography is the lowest level of painting”, did.

Alexander Rodchenko has always been a fashion and style icon – he spent almost his whole life wearing one leather coat, one pair of shoes and they overall made by his wife Varvara Stepanova, a designer of clothes. These personal belongings were also among showpieces of the exhibition – to make the portrait of the genius closer to ordinary people. Moscow House of Photography aimed this exhibition to show evolution of Alexander Rodchenko’s creative work and for better understanding of his photographic worlds.

Alexander Rodchenko started making photos, when he was 33, already being an experienced artist. Like any other amateur, he made portraits of those, who surrounded him - his family – wife and mother – and friends, among which were Vladimir Mayakovsky and Lilya Brick. He was a tornado of photography, since he took camera for the first time in his life. He was in step with Western trends and sometimes even ahead of them. His inventive photographic collages, dynamic photo-reports and advertising pictures he made for various magazines made Alexander Rodchenko world famous – his recognizable art style still inspires numerous followers and copy cats. Manezh hosts his early works, as well as his last photo-sessions, which heroes were ballet dancers, clowns, circus performers and animals.

The exhibition gives a chance to touch people, who died long time ago, but are immortal thanks to the master, who knew the right angle and the right point of view to give humans eternal life.

Source:

    Afisha

    Moscow House of Photography