MODERN ART AND IDEAS 4 1914–1928 A Guide for Educators

Department of Education at The Museum of Modern Art EARLY ABSTRACTION

Artists included in this guide: Marcel Breuer, Vasily Kandinsky, Gustav Klucis, El Lissitzky, Kazimir Malevich, László Moholy-Nagy, Piet Mondrian, Gerrit Rietveld, Aleksandr Rodchenko, Oskar Schlemmer, and Vladimir Tatlin.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. A NOTE TO EDUCATORS

2. USING THE EDUCATORS GUIDE

3. SETTING THE SCENE

4. LESSONS Lesson One: New Visions of the World

Lesson Two: Constructing Things

Lesson Three: Ideal Living

Lesson Four: Ideal Objects

Lesson Five: Ideal Performance

26. FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION

28. GLOSSARY

30. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCES

32. MoMA SCHOOL PROGRAMS

No part of these materials may be reproduced or published in any form without prior written consent of The Museum of Modern Art. Design © 2006 The Museum of Modern Art, New York A NOTE TO EDUCATORS

This is the fourth volume in the Modern Art and Ideas series, which explores the history of 1 modern art through The Museum of Modern Art’s rich collection. Although traditional art A

historical categories are the series’ organizing principle, these parameters are used primarily N O

as a means of exploring artistic developments and movements in conjunction with their social T E

and historical context, with attention to the contributions of specific artists. This guide is T O

informed by issues posed by the selected works in a variety of mediums (painting, sculpture, E D

drawing, photography), but its organization and lesson topics are created with the school U C A

curriculum in mind, with particular application to social studies, visual art, history, and lan- T O

guage arts. Lessons are accompanied by writing, research, and hands-on, art-based activities R S that encourage students to make connections between the visual arts and other disciplines. The goal of this guide is to introduce students to early abstraction in modern Western art, and to demonstrate to teachers the variety of ways in which these works can be used in the classroom. The guide’s purpose is not just to explicate works of art but also to demonstrate how images and historical information can be integrated into numerous subject areas and skill bases taught in the classroom. The works featured in this guide span the years 1914 to 1928, when artistic movements such as Suprematism, Constructivism, de Stijl, and Bauhaus arose in response to World War I, the Russian Revolution, and the years that followed, pio- neering new forms of nonobjective art. These radically modern movements revolutionized the traditional arts of painting and sculpture, as well as everyday life in the form of architec- ture and design. Students will be introduced to significant ideas in art and culture from this period. By comparing a variety of mediums and artistic styles, students will be able to practice observation, articulation, and discussion skills, and will further develop their visual literacy. This series was devised with the understanding that the history of modern art is not simply a progression of hermetic styles; rather, a complex matrix of intellectual, social, and histor- ical factors have contributed to the creation of art. Modern art is not solely the product of artists who seek to overthrow convention at all cost.As Kirk Varnedoe suggested, it “has been the product of individual decisions to reconsider the complex possibilities within the tradi- tions available to them, and to act on basic options that were, and remain, broadly available and unconcealed.”1 Indeed, a work of art may be viewed as a locus that invites numerous approaches and offers multiple ways of understanding the historical moment in which it was made as well as the individual who created it.

1. Kirk Varnedoe, A Fine Disregard: What Makes Modern Art Modern (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1990), 22. USING THE EDUCATORS GUIDE

The five lessons that comprise this guide—New Visions of the World, Constructing Things, 2 Ideal Living, Ideal Objects, and Ideal Performance—may be used sequentially or as inde- U S

I pendent units. The lessons include an introduction to key principles followed by a close N

G examination of each work, including the work’s historical context and information on the T H architect or artist. Discussion questions based on the image lead students through formal E

E analysis of the artwork, and seek to create connections between information and visual evi- D U

C dence. The activities that conclude each lesson encourage students to synthesize what they A

T have learned about the works, and connect the lesson to the broader curriculum or relate it O

R to skills students are practicing in the classroom. S G U I D E IMAGES All of the questions, discussions, and activities in this guide are based on images on the accompanying CD-ROM. Please examine the images carefully before showing them to your students. Your classroom should be equipped with a computer and LCD projector. You may also print images from the CD-ROM to transparency paper for overhead projection.

ACTIVITIES The Activities sections encourage students to make connections between their own experiences and the concepts presented in the lessons. Through these activities, students will begin to develop a language for discussing and looking at art. Feel free to tailor the activities to the age level of your students.

RESEARCH PROJECTS The materials in this guide provide opportunities for in-depth research on specific artists or artistic movements. We have suggested some topics, to which we encourage you to add your own.

FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION AND SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCES Additional discussion questions and research projects are included in this section. A bibli- ography and resources section has also been provided for teachers and students to use in conducting research. The resources recommended in these pages provide further infor- mation on the artists and artworks in this guide, general historical topics, and additional classroom activities.

GLOSSARY A glossary of art historical terms (bolded upon first mention in each lesson) is included at the end of the guide. 3 SETTING THE SCENE , ographer (16.5 x 22.5 cm). " 8 ⁄ Phot 7 8 x 2 ⁄ 1 6 int r Unknown. (aerial recon- Untitled photograph,naissance Lavannes I).War 1917.World Gelatin silver p IMAGE ONE: The Museum ofThe Museum Art, Modern New York. Gift of Steichen Edward Ask them if the photograph aph. econnaissance photograph (Image One).econnaissance photograph Ask them if AIRPLANES TO EINSTEIN : Y ecognizable parts of the photogr eflect on the experience of looking out of the window of a moving car of century, the twentieth as the motion picture, such inventions the automobile, n ur the t reminds them of anything they have seen before.reminds your students that this photograph Inform I.War World Ask your students how this information during a military plane from was taken affects the way that they see the photograph. train, bus, or airplane. the vantage point from Ask them to describe what the world looks like types of transportation. of these different Ask your students to r of two or more, your students into small groups Organize and ask them to consider an every- day technological invention such as the radio, television, microwave, computer, CD player, dig- ital camera, or iPod. function and how it affects their life. on the object’s Ask them to reflect Ask your students to look at the aerial r they can identify any r ETTING THE SCENE ETTING y erceived and represented the world. and represented erceived • • • SCIENTIFIC DISCOVER B electricity, the telephone, artists impact how on had a profound and the airplane had already p S 44" 1915 (in- x 4 ⁄ 3 ch, 1872–1944. t u D ian. ndr o ndrian/Holtzman Trust, ndrian/Holtzman M o rnational.co t e Piet Mondrian. Dutch, 1872–1944. enge with Four Lines and Gray. Lines enge with Four z Pie int o cean (Sea and Starry Sky). 2006 M © 44" (87.9 x 111.2 cm). of The Museum x and O 8 leau I: L ⁄ r 5 2006 Mondrian Holtzman Trust, Holtzman 2006 Mondrian ie und. ab c/o [email protected] Modern Art,Modern York. New Mrs. Simon Guggenheim F IMAGE THREE: P scribed 1914). scribed paper, on gouache and Charcoal 34 (113.7 x 111.8 cm). of The Museum Modern Art,York. S. New Katherine Bequest. Dreier © c/o hcr@hcr IMAGE FIVE: T 1926. canvas, Oil on diagonal: 44 " 4 ⁄ 1 31 x 4 ⁄ 1 osition: omp reverse 1914). reverse ist C n o mat d e e r alevich. Russian, born Kazimir Malevich and Malevich Kazimir up f (dat S Suprematist Composition: Suprematist o 19" (58.1 x 48.3 cm). e x 8 ⁄ 7 1918. canvas, Oil on 31 1915 2 azimir M 2 Kazimir Malevich.Kazimir Russian, born K as, v 1878–1935. ith the Estat can ohn Hay Whitney Bequest (by exchange) Bequest (by Whitney ohn Hay J n lane Flying. aine. s. p nt w ESSONS ESSONS omparison I kr ir Comparison II L New VisionsLESSON ONE: of the World C White on White. on White Oil o Ukraine. 1878–1935. IMAGE FOUR: IMAGE TWO: The Museum ofThe Museum Art, Modern York. New agree- by in 1999 confirmed 1935 acquisition me possible the Mrs.made with funds from John exchange) Bequest (by Whitney Hay U A (79.4 x 79.4 cm). of The Museum Art, Modern York. in 1999 confirmed New 1935 acquisition with agreement ofby the Estate Male- Kazimir vich possible the and made with funds from Mr

4 LESSONS INTRODUCTION During an exceptionally charged moment in European history, two artists, Kazimir Male- vich and Piet Mondrian, began exploring an entirely new form of painting. In 1914, World War I broke out in Europe, followed, in 1917, by the overthrow of Russia’s Romanov dynasty and the October Revolution. A curtain of war was drawn across Europe. Paris, which had been the epicenter of avant-garde art, was suddenly inaccessible to many artists. Indepen- dently of one another, Malevich and Mondrian had already begun to feel that Cubism and Futurism, the leading artistic movements of the time, were too confining, given what the artists wished to communicate. Living in Russia and Holland, respectively, they developed two distinct methods of nonfigurative painting. They were pioneers venturing into unknown territory; in fact, painting the unknown was in some respects very much what they were after. 5 L E S S LESSON OBJECTIVES O N • Students will be introduced to two artists, Kazimir Malevich and Piet Mondrian, who S pioneered different systems of abstract painting.

• By comparing Malevich and Mondrian, students will consider how the two artists’ use of shape, line, composition, and color reflect both similarities and differences in their artistic ideologies.

INTRODUCTORY DISCUSSION • Ask your class to come up with definitions of the word “modern.” Ask them to consider what it might mean to be a “modern” artist.

• Invite your students to reflect on the kinds of choices (such as color, line, composition, subject matter, and scale) that an artist might make when creating a painting.

• Ask your students what makes two lines perpendicular.Ask them what makes two lines parallel. Have them define “quadrilateral,” “rectangle,” and “square.”

IMAGE-BASED DISCUSSION Begin by looking at Malevich’s Suprematist Composition: Airplane Flying (Image Two). Refrain from telling your students the title right away.

• Have your students consider the kinds of artistic choices Malevich made. Ask them to describe the various shapes in the painting.

• Ask your students to consider how the shapes relate to one another in the composition: Are they perpendicular, diagonal, layered, or separated? How much space exists between the shapes? Do the shapes seem to be pulling together or pushing apart?

• Invite your students to describe the colors Malevich used in the painting. Introduce the title of the painting to your students.

• Ask your students to describe what it feels like to fly in an airplane. Ask them how they might connect an airplane in flight with what is represented in the painting.

• Ask your students to describe what it is like to look out of an airplane window, based on their experience of flying or seeing aerial photographs or film.

Are there any other ways in which the painting reminds your students of flying in an air- plane? Some students may feel that the painting is reminiscent of a landscape seen from above. Others may see elements of a propeller plane in the composition.

6 • Ask your students to summarize the artistic choices Malevich made in Suprematist Composi- L E

S tion: Airplane Flying. S O N S When Malevich painted Suprematist Composition: Airplane Flying, he was familiar with the leading artistic movements of the time. He had most recently been involved with Russian Futurism,a movement fascinated by the dynamism of trains,planes,automobiles,moving pic- tures, electricity, and other accomplishments of the machine age. The Futurists captured the speed and dynamism of modern life through fragmented forms and stippled brushwork.

Malevich refers to Futurist impulses in the second part of the painting’s title, “Airplane Flying,”but his choice of color and composition and his lack of a recognizable subject mark a significant break with past styles. Malevich reduced his palette to primary colors alongside black and white. He developed a sense of movement not through brushstrokes but through the tension created by the proximity and irregularity of his flat shapes, placed on a diagonal axis rather than along a vertical or horizontal one. Malevich called his new language of painting “Suprematism.”

Malevich presented Suprematist Composition: Airplane Flying in his 1915 exhibition The Last Futurist Exhibition, in St. Petersburg. He published a pamphlet to accompany the exhibition, a practice that would become critical for Malevich, as his radical painting style inspired con- fusion and sometimes even outrage. Malevich wrote,“Color and texture in painting are ends in themselves. They are the essence of painting, but this essence has always been destroyed by the subject[. . . .] Painters should abandon subject and objects if they wish to be pure painters. . . .”Malevich also commented on realism, writing that “The new realism in [Supre- matist] painting is very much realism in painting, for it contains no realism of mountains, sky, water. . . .”He closed with a dramatic call to arms:“We,Suprematists, throw open the way to you. Hurry!—For tomorrow you will not recognize us.”2

• Ask your students to summarize some of the central points Malevich made in the above statement. What did the artist think painting had to abandon in order for it to be truly modern? How did he want to change painting?

• Ask your students to reflect on the word “realism.” In his statement, Malevich referred to traditional artistic tools of illusion (such as the use of perspective and naturalistic colors, and the shading and modeling of forms), which create recognizable images of landscapes, people, and objects. Ask your students to consider why Malevich thought that flat, geometric forms were more “real” than traditional realism.

2. Kazimir Malevich, in “From Cubism and Futurism to Suprematism: The New Realism in Painting” (1916), Art in Theory, 1900–2000: An Anthology of Changing Ideas. Charles Harrison and Paul Wood, eds. (Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers, 2003), 173–83. 7 LESSONS aise about (Image r . Suprematist Com- Suprematist , implies a landscape. White on White Suprematist Composition: Pier and Ocean (Sea and Starry Sky) es these kinds of questions painted three years after after years three painted hat questions does W e? Suprematist Composition: White on White s eflect the radical nature of the painting. of the nature eflect the radical other What , and Minus” “Plus as the to in what is referred a work Pier and Ocean (Sea and Starry Sky) Malevich relinquished concrete titles in favour of titles in favour concrete relinquished Malevich abstract ones. f“male,” lines drawn a vertical axis as on lines as and horizontal hat similarities and differences do they see between the two works? hat similarities and differences ctrum). an elevated painting explanation to accompanying The work’s W ht o e sp r What questions does the painting pose about the role of the viewer? Ask your the viewer? of does the painting pose about the role questions What ain from telling them the title of the work.ain from feel challenged by students may Your olo c Refr ian thoug l Suprematist Composition: White on White, on White Composition: Suprematist ed. Instead, light (white embodies color began as the ultimate Malevich look at white to ndr our). Malevich? inspir students what they see in the painting that Introduce the title to your students.Introduce about Supre- some of the principles Ask them to recall earlier work, when looking at Malevich’s matism they discovered Ask your students to clearly describe the painting’s shapes and composition.painting’s Ask your students to clearly describe the If the inner placed in the very center of the painting, were quadrilateral would it change the way that did Malevich use in the painting? colors What they see the work? Ask your students to look at Malevich’ Now ask your students to look closely at Mondrian’s closely at Mondrian’s students to look Now ask your Three).(Image away. them the title right telling from Refrain kinds of artistic choices What can be seen, of lines and shapes types What make? did Mondrian your Ask colors? and what Malevich’s. choices with Mondrian’s and differ- Ask what similarities compare students to and use of line. see in the composition ences they to your the title of the painting Introduce students. to their observations. title might relate Ask them how the F Airplane Flying. this painting and ask questions such as “Is this art?”this painting and ask questions such as much does this cost?”“How or Let them know that these sorts of questions r kinds of questions does the painting inspir o ofondrian the subject in favor abandon had begun to “pure”,“true” forms. what he called ear astrophysical level: astrophysical With With orientationThe of diagonal the form remained,primary the but disap- and the black colors p • • position: Airplane Flying, • Pier and Ocean and Starry (Sea Sky) Mondrian’s title for this drawing, title for Mondrian’s the flat landscape imagine of to how is not hard It Holland, his native sea, where sky, and land meet so seamlessly, him. inspired might have the use of soon abandon he would But titles, descriptive such “composition.”In use the term did) to (as Malevich instead choosing Paris, from Holland to returned 1914 Mondrian he had been living, where care to in order father. his sick for in Paris, While had artists and befriended such Mondrian as Diego Rivera Léger,Fernand forms in new of interest a common who shared art, Cubism. including because of Paris to return to Unable the startof I,War in Holland stayed World Mondrian of way a new explore to and continued drawing and painting. • the ful series, early experimentation with intersections. vertical and horizontal artist’s the features M “female.” this perpendicular of relationship saw He as being the Cartesian x- and y-axes nature,essential to ofthe intersection in as revealed and land. trees of This element Mon- view tilted of Malevich’s distinct from is quite work drian’s the world. Malevich, like But M further artists in the next explored the two between are These similarities and differences pairing, II. Comparison 5 (Boston: (Image with Malevich’s , was not Malevich 4 White on White on White , 293. f perpendicu- between the relationship o n io hat kinds of choices did they make when hat kinds of choices did they make at on their own “canvas.”on their own that Ask them to imagine W Art in Theory in Art r . Ask them what similarities and differences Ask them what similarities and differences . Tableau I: Lozenge with Four Lines and Gray cise xplo The New Art, The New ofWritings The Collected Life: the New Piet Mondrian Pier and Ocean and Starry (Sea Sky), I: Lozenge Tableau on an angle.on This very minimal, work monochromatic ous e r o Tableau I: Lozenge with Four Lines and Gray (“the style”).(“the founder, and the group’s Both Mondrian Theo ig is a r y de Stijlde eflect on the exer a r ions could be understood by anyone, by be understood could ions of regardless nationality edu- or , 267. ole of ones. diagonal and vertical lines over the horizontal 3 osit al r r mp ing the years between these two works, these two between ing the years became with associated a Mondrian nt o e ines and G ur Fine Disregard Fine D A ir c t. point of a major But in the and Doesburg occurred Mondrian departure between ur L and c o the e rm is not yet spiritual.rmyet is not is nonetheless the path of It ascension: the material. from away have ripped though of lampshade the blue have of the constraints colour. into out come I have ion. rel- a universally The artists create and hoped to idealists with associated Stijl de were o For the present at least I shall restrict my work to the ordinary of to world work at least I shall restrict my the present For the senses, since that is the one in which we still we in which live.that is the one Still, a transition the finer to art provide can already regions, I call which the spiritual realm, perhaps erroneously; has whatever read I have for Ask your students to r Ask your students to compare Suprematist Composition: White on White Tableau I: Lozenge with Four Lines and Gray For the following exercise, the following For of paper and a pencil or pen. your students will need a piece look at Mondrian’s Ask your students to Five). edge) in the middle of their using a straight (preferably a square Ask them to draw piece of blank paper.Ask is oriented in the same paper so that the square the them to rotate canvas.diamond shape as Mondrian’s they see in Ask them to duplicate the lines that extending the lines, and why? they see. the lines extend beyond the canvas. artistic choices. their turn to make It is now on Based what they see, piece of paper. to fill the entire ask them to extend the lines ant ar f of Suprematism. the white. me, Follow aviators. comrade the abyss. into Swim set the semaphores up I have I ith F Harry Holtzman and James Martin,Harry and James Holtzman eds. and trans. Malevich,Art and Suprematism” “Non-Objective (1919), in Varnedoe, rimary twenty another years. for colors 1917, By course: set his future he had already an Doesburg,primary using that by believed colors, shapes, rectangular and asymmetrical v 1920s, the perpendicular employing axis in art from and design away moved when the latter ofin favor axis. a diagonal is no accident, It therefore, of turned the canvas that Mondrian Dutch group known as group Dutch lar lines. cat e v lines, 5. 3. 4. Lozenge with Four Lines and Gray Lines withLozenge Four possibilities of the compositional exhaust to continued Mondrian perpendicular lines and p (much of(much its bright is famous for work primary the domi- emphasizes colors) Mondrian’s nanc Painted more than twelve years after after years than twelve more Painted • • w only trying to record the disorienting tryingonly modern experience, record to the for be reaching he seemed to as well.stars artist El Lissitzky noted, Russian rotate. fellow As the canvas made have “We it, rotated as we And in space.” putting ourselves were that we saw we • Malevich was deeply interested in space-time physics and the notion of and the physics in space-time interested was deeply Malevich the fourth dimen- sion, in the 1880s. had that been ideas introduced With G. K. & Company, Hall 1986), 14.

8 LESSONS ACTIVITIES 1. Composing Compositions Mondrian used masking tape to create the straight-edged lines of his paintings. He also used the walls of his house and studio as experimental spaces where he could compose shapes and lines in preparation for his paintings.

Using the walls (and floors, if you wish) of your school hallway or classroom, assign your students the task of creating compositions using colored (or black) masking tape and col- ored construction paper. Your students should work in small groups or with partners. You may want to divide the class up into “color composition” and “line composition” teams, so that half of the students are responsible for the line composition and the other half coordi- nate the color composition. 9 L E

2. Envisioning Space S S Malevich was influenced by the writings of Charles Howard Hinton, who popularized his O N ideas about the fourth dimension in a series of essays at the turn of the twentieth century. S Edwin A. Abbott, a contemporary of Hinton, was also interested in the notion of an unseen fourth dimension, and in 1884 he published a popular tale called Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. The story describes a square (a “Flatlander”) living in a two-dimensional world, unable to comprehend the notion of a third dimension. Abbott used the following example to illustrate our own limitations in envisioning space of a higher dimension:

Does this [notion of a fourth dimension] still seem strange to you? Then put yourself in a similar position. Suppose a person of the Fourth Dimension, condescending to visit you, were to say,“Whenever you open your eyes, you see a Plane (which is of Two Dimensions) and you infer a Solid (which is of Three); but in reality you also see (though you do not rec- ognize) a Fourth Dimension, which is not color nor brightness nor anything of the kind, but a true Dimension, although I cannot point out to you its direction, nor can you possi- bly measure it.”What would you say to such a visitor? Would not you have him locked up?6

• Assign your students to read and report on the central ideas of Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions.

• Ask your students to write about what they imagine life would be like in two dimensions. What would the world look like?

6. Edwin A. Abbott. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (New York: Penguin Books, 1998), 2–3. . x 8 ⁄ 7 6 x 8 ⁄ 1 el Construction k Third Interna- Third ic N the o n, welded, 14 o nt t ir d e ume László Moholy-Nagy. American, (28 x 21.9 cm). Publisher: Izo on Vladimir Tatlin. Russian, .Artists Rights © 2006 Society " y 8 ⁄ M 5 l-plat ikolai Punin.ikolai 1920. Illustrated book e ag k N ic y y-N b N Hungary. 1895–1946. (35.9 x 17.5 x 23.8 cm). of The Museum n " r 2006 Artists Rights2006 Society (ARS),York New ohol 8 ⁄ ith one letterpress illustration on front cover, illustration front letterpress on ith one 3 o ional IMAGE SEVEN: 9 Modern Art,Modern York. New Gift of Mrs. Sibyl M b 1921. (ARS), New York/VG (ARS),Bild-Kunst, Bonn York/VG New NKP,Petersburg. Edition: unknown. The ofMuseum Art, Modern York. New Gift of Foundation, Rothschild The Judith 2001. © 1885–1953. IMAGE EIGHT: t w page: 11 x 8 . . Russian, o nk he c d tter,A. and Enid o u na F uminum paint,uminum and wire, (61 x 83.7 x 47 cm). The " leksandr R 2 ⁄ and Er 1 Spatial Construction no. 12 A ith al H. w w d e

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1891–1956. Museum ofMuseum Art, Modern York. Acquisi- New possible the extraordinarytion made through efforts of Costakis, and Zinaida George and B. the Nate through Spingold, and Frances M IMAGE SIX: c. 1920. Plywood, construction partially open paint Haupt Funds.Haupt Rodchenko Aleksandr © 2006 24 x 33 x 18 LESSON TWO: Constructing Things Constructing LESSON TWO:

LESSONS 10 INTRODUCTION The years 1917 to 1922 brought both civil turmoil and possibility to Russia. Artists believed that their modernist, iconoclastic approach to art would help to create a new language for the free, Communist state. The artists discussed in this lesson, Aleksandr Rodchenko, László Moholy-Nagy, and Vladimir Tatlin, were all concerned with redefining art’s engagement with life. Constructivism, as their movement came to be called, sought to apply aesthetic ideals to everyday material experience. These artists, along with their colleagues, thought of themselves as collaborative scientists working toward the creation of a new visual vocabu- lary based on their experiments with new forms and materials (they even called their art- making efforts “laboratory work”). Their artwork challenged traditional notions of form by relinquishing references to the figure and experimenting with materials. As Rodchenko later reflected on this exciting, idealistic moment in history, “We were for the new man; we felt 11 him but did not imagine him clearly. . . . We created a new understanding of beauty, and L

7 E enlarged the concept of art.” S S O N S

LESSON OBJECTIVES • Students will be introduced to artists who developed new visual forms through experimentation.

• Students will consider artists’ choices of material.

• Students will be introduced to the term “Constructivism.”

INTRODUCTORY DISCUSSION • Ask your students to think about the kinds of choices an artist might make when creating a sculpture.

• Invite your students to discuss some differences between viewing a painting and a sculpture.

• The artists discussed in this lesson experimented with new forms and materials. Ask your stu- dents to consider what makes an experiment effective. Reflecting on their own experience in science labs at school, what are some of the components of conducting an experiment (such as a control, specified substances, specified quantities, et cetera)?

IMAGE-BASED DISCUSSION Begin by looking at Rodchenko’s Spatial Construction no. 12 (Image Six). Refrain from telling your students the title right away.

• Ask each student to come up with a word that they might associate with this object. Note what types of words students volunteer.Are the word choices similar? Do they differ?

• Ask your students what they notice about the shapes that make up this object. How do they think the object was constructed?

• This work hangs from the ceiling. Ask your students to imagine what it would be like to walk under and around it. Would different viewpoints change how it looks? Based on your students’ initial word associations, along with their visual analysis, does the work remind them of any other object?

• Introduce the title of the work to your students. Ask them if the title seems appropriate. Ask them why or why not.

7. Magdalena Dabrowski, in Aleksandr Rodchenko. Dabrowski et al. (New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1998), 23–4. - Spatial o’s o’s eflect its pur (Image Eight). Let York: 1990). Rizzoli 73 w e with Rodchenk (N (Image Seven). Ask them to . and differ- similarities What , a German art and movement. school his In is symbolic of the aspirations of the Russian Nickel Construction How does the way a monument looks r . Bauhaus Monument to the Third International Spatial Construction no. 12 reveals the Hungarian artist’s interest in Russian Con- in Russian interest artist’s Hungarian the reveals into Life: Russian Constructivism, Russian Life: into 1914–32 t r A These constructions were made to be folded in two dimen- in two be folded to made These constructionswere Monument to the Third International 8 e in a long-forgotten warehouse filled with various objects from warehouse in a long-forgotten 1922, of exhibition a large in Berlin. place took work Russian This Ask them to write down their ideas about why this object might have Ask them to write down their ideas about nstructivist method of scientific and artistic on centered teaching . n Monumental Propaganda,”under which Tatlin was commissioned to was commissioned Tatlin which Propaganda,”under Monumental I o r .in the two constructions’ do they see differences similarities and What C o (“the style”) and style”) (“the a Nickel ConstructionNickel d eated this object for a futuristic purpose. would Who will it be used for? What “Plan f inciples. r de Stijlde lishe odchenko,“The Line” (1921), in his Nickel Construction d Monument to the Third International Third the to Monument ist p ion would have a great impact on other major artistic impact a great major other on projects, have would ion as the Dutch such v estab i it he t er, paper, celluloid, cork, and wood. y b eflect on the purpose of monuments nstructivists Soviet state. and the young 1918, In Vladimir Lenin the Soviet leader leksandr R

uc st year as professor at the Bauhaus (then located in the German city Weimar), in the German at the Bauhaus city located (then as professor st year Moholy- been created. have used the object? Based on their analysis, might Who what title would they give the object? 2. century. living in the twenty-second inventors students to imagine that they are Ask your They have cr should it be called? What use this object? describe in detail what they see.describe in detail what to Ask them shapes or elements can they describe? What this object to Rodchenko’s compare Construction no. 12 ences can they find between the two artists’ methods of construction? ences can they find between the twentieth century Ask your students to compar Ask your students to look at Tatlin’s Tatlin’s Ask your students to look at In-class writing exercise (students may choose one of the following topics): In-class writing exercise 1. Moholy- who have discovered archeologists students to imagine that they are Ask your Nagy’s Ask your students to look at Moholy-Nagy’s look at Moholy-Nagy’s Ask your students to them know that the work is a print taken from a book. from them know that the work is a print taken at the Ask them to look carefully image.a monument that was never built. for Inform them that this is a proposal Ask them to r made in his design. Tatlin Ask your students to identify some important decisions pose? lines and forms? ag A r o

xhib xperimentation with the structural capabilities of as glass, such materials different metal, ub 8. movement movement e Tatlin’s Tatlin’s • fir N • Moholy-Nagy’s Moholy-Nagy’s • • In 1920,In of the confines from away in a move painting, upon a series embarked Rodchenko of that he titled studies Constructions. Light three-dimensional Reflecting “Construction,” Rodchenko,noted object an which from is assembled by be as the system defined “may used materials.” appropriately C launc st sions or suspended from the ceiling in three dimensions. in three the ceiling from suspended or sions basic geo- The constructions were metric shapes: an oval, a circle, a triangle, a square, surviving is the only Six) the series.(Image from work a hexagon, parts painted of Rodchenko octagon. and an these The oval constructions with paint, aluminum light reflect and shapes so that the suspended would his and shapes material in this series to reveals cast shadows. studied approach Rodchenko’s of in the scientific and mathematical research interest the time. e r create a project for a monument to the Revolution. to a monument for a project create of The unveiling 1920 public the model caused a sensation. tower the proposed for

LESSONS 12 LESSONS 13 10 , (of collage photomontage 100. , 344. , into Life into t r ments. the timeline, creating In to students ask your A tists And Theory And t r A Comprised ofComprised glass and steel, to the structure was intended 9 es and mo figur y e k n o e at r o s, magazines, cardboard, wire, foam, sponges, and tinfoil. should try group Each me of of many used by techniques the propagandistic the Constructivistartists r atlin,“The Ahead of Work Us” (1921),”in played a major role in revolutionary Russia. in revolutionary role a major played of Many the most accomplished e lab so Gan,“Constructivism” (1922), in i n y spap dimir T lekse me A w o Vla ructures (for example, (for ructures structural sturdy units). tubes makes into newspaper rolled oth text and images),oth text red, as and trademark such Soviet colors black, and white. mplo 9. 10. e Klucis, as Gustav (such Lissitzky, including and Rodchenko) to create a form that stands on its own and/or can be suspended from the ceiling. can be from its own suspended and/or a form that stands on create to The stu- the necessarytape, as masking just (such tools should be given dents wire cutters, scissors, and string). strong create to how in determining be creative to students your Encourage st 3. Discovering Russian Female Ar W 2. Revolutionary Russia a timeline of and create research to students your Ask of Revolution the Russian 1917. They should e ACTIVITIES 1. Constructivist Laboratory the spiritIn of the Constructivist experimentation with and forms, basic materials students will their own laboratory. create groups, into students Divide your assigning a group each with can work material). class one the entire (or material different can include Materials ne In his architectural proposal, his architectural In an idealistic view captured of in spiraling ascent Tatlin Russia’s the world. at the unveiling, he stated As artistic purely combine possible to becomes “It forms with utilitarian goals.” b dwarf of Tower the Eiffel in both heightdramatic and Paris effect. The enormous tower in St. straddle River would Neva the Petersburg, Star. the North pointing to its tilting crown following within a cultlike the Soviet it developed Union built was never Although the tower circles. as well as in international of the unveiling After the proposal, Constructivists artis- their sought increasingly apply to architecture,tic efforts toward technology, and industry, as well as, inevitably, Soviet propa- ganda. 1922, In declare, so as far as to go Gan would Aleksei Constructivist is dead! “Art apparatus. work it in the human for is no room There Work, and organization!” technique modern Russian artists were women, artists were modern Russian Popova, Liubov including Semenova, Elena Var- and and wife collaborator of (lifelong vara Stepanova Rodchenko). research students your Have the artwork of of some Web. artists the on these Russian in a ions that raiseions an t tubular steel and steel tubular d inc e 28" (71.8 x 78.1 x 71.1 cm). x 4 ⁄ 3 Marcel Breuer.Marcel American, me-plat lass-dist 30 o x hr 4 ⁄ [. . .] 1 C 11 the c t f Herbert Bayer ithou MAGE TWELVE: The Museum ofThe Museum Art, Modern York. New Gift o canvas, 28 I born Hungary. 1902–1981. to Attributed Möbel,Standard Chair. Germany. Wassily 1927–28. w n aftsme r c f guild o w ists,Vasily Kandinsky and Marcel Breuer,ists,Vasily and Marcel Kandinsky friends and who were t ne ar a . 1923. Lithograph, o (40.6 x 38.3 cm); " 16 ⁄ 1 Orange auhaus was established in the city of the following in 1919 on prin- Weimar ectural and industrial design. prototypes mass for produced The workshops (48.2 x 44.3 cm). Publisher ore create create ore Vasily Kandinsky. French,Vasily born and will one day rise towards the heavens from the hands of the hands from the heavens and will rise towards day one a million work- " f 6 , hit 1 e ⁄ xamines tw 7 c r e he B T n . ere artists’ere workshops, gained students practical where skills and hands-on in art, le form us the and ar Purchase 1949.Purchase Artists Rights © 2006 w t e k. n

Walter Gropius,“Manifesto,”(1919).Walter of / Museum Archive The Bauhaus Design Architects, painters, sculptors, all we return must crafts! to arrogant barrier craftsmen between and artists! us desire, Let conceive, the new and create ofbuilding together. the future will architecture, It combine sculpture, and painting ers as the crystallineers symbol of faith. and coming a new sing L r mposition: 16 x 15 aft, culty of members known as the project and collaborative school international the his lesso auhaus

o o MAGE ELEVEN: http://www.bauhaus.de/english/bauhaus1919/manifest1919.htm http://www.bauhaus.de/english/bauhaus1919/manifest1919.htm 11. fa cr True to his word, to of school a True created Gropius the model based of on workshops the Bauhüt- ten,Ages. during the High Middle stonemasons for built homes the Bauhaus Central mis- to sio ciples, Gropius,Walter its founder outlined by a German architect: INTRODUCTION T B LESSON THREE: Ideal Living LESSON THREE: production, buildings. to ranging furniture from of during economy the bleak Founded Germany, and a Germany a better the hope for the Bauhaus represented post-World-War-I world. better Society (ARS),York New sheet: 19 x 17 and printer: Bauhaus, Staatliches Weimar. Edition: 50. of The Museum Art, Modern New Y I Russia. 1866–1944. c

LESSONS 14 LESSONS 15 . guments . lithography and film) had on the value and definition of art. and film) had on the value and definition , aphy “A” and “B.”A should defend the idea that “A” and Group , oups photogr and should cite evidence to support their ar and should cite evidence to support their ” (Image Eleven). (Image How would this change the composition? . eproduced forms can be considered art. forms can be considered eproduced Both teams should come up with Orange name for their ”movement, tudents will consider how technological progress affects art and design. affects how technological progress tudents will consider mechanically reproduced objects are art. are objects mechanically reproduced the opposite position, B should take Group denying that mechanically r a Ask your students to name the shapes that Kandinsky used in this work. in the print. are of shapes and colors Ask your students to identify how many layers What about the process? reveal might these layers Ask your students to consider the composition of the print. would it look if How different What pattern in the upper left-hand corner? Kandinsky had omitted the black checkerboard Ask your students to imagine the print shape had not been included? orange if the large the lower left-hand corner to the diagonally from triangle stretching without the narrow upper right-hand one Debate: In 1936, Benjamin published a famous Walter writer the German philosopher and Age of Mechanical Reproduction.”Art in the of essay,Work Benjamin, “The other thinkers like of the time, impact modern mechanical reproduc- in exploring the profound was interested tion (such as industrial design, Web quest: Ask your students to explore MoMA’s “What Is a Print?”“What quest: Web site Web MoMA’s Ask your students to explore (moma.org:http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/2001/whatisaprint/flash.html). Ask them to activity. this online about from types of prints they learned back on the different report Divide your students into two gr Ask your students to imagine how a print is made.Ask your students to imagine how a print exam- there Are find prints? do we Where (such as in textbooks and on posters,ples of prints in the classroom hats, and t-shirts)? Students will be introduced to the printmaking technique of Students will be introduced S name the parts of a chair (head,Ask your students to back, seat, arms, legs, feet). Ask why the body. the same names as parts of share they think chairs dif- Have them think about the school, they use in their daily life (at types of chairs ferent at home, in restaurants, et cetera). Based on the students’ own expe- their purpose? reflect of these chairs How does the design rience or observation,or her personality? his favorite chair reflect how might someone’s Students will be introduced to the principles of the Bauhaus. to the principles be introduced Students will of chair design. consider the elements Students will • • • IMAGE-BASED DISCUSSION Begin looking at by • • • • • DISCUSSION INTRODUCTORY • LESSON OBJECTIVES • • is Orange . Ask them Suprematism Twelve). do they notice What assily Chair (Image educators guide.) educators W s euer’ Ask your students to imagine who might sit in this chair Ask your students to imagine who might sit cise: , of movements the leading Russian the day. of later Although he would Weimar. his trip his belongings finance to to rn architect and designer Breuer arrived at the Bauhaus arrived in 1920. and designer Breuer rn architect Drawn l o es, flash of Breuer’s while he was occurred Chair Wassily inspiration the for o Why do they think the artist made the design choices that he did? do they Why ian-b ct design, on prototype,Wassily the first and within after a year modern many nd g ar e g reflects both the artist’s interest in abstract the Bauhaus and forms and color interest both the artist’s reflects ung Constructivism Modern Art and Ideas 2: 1893–1913 and Ideas Art Modern nna and sold al the le ly recognized the intelligence of the intelligence recognized ly design. the chair’s the school’s reputation for innovation, for reputation the school’s his fine arts had abandoned in studies Breuer

to take a few minutes to write a monologue from the point of view of the sitter. a few minutes to write a monologue from to take Ask your students what they think it might be like to sit in this chair.What be like Ask your students what they think it might parts of the chair body? would come into contact with the sitter’s In-class writing exer Ask your students to look at Br the artist used.Ask your students to try to identify the materials chair How do they think the was made? about the chair’s shape and lines? How would they describe the chair’s overall form? overall describe the chair’s shape and lines? How would they about the chair’s e ie s he H

o included in one ofone in included the Bauhaus. published by Portfolios Master the first modern many Like artists, could and was partial manipulate because it was easy to lithography to Kandinsky large,produce colorful, uniform editions. especially for useful print were qualities Such the Bauhaus, like groups organized artistic their who publicized printed cause through magazines, pamphlets, and posters. Kandinsky, on in more Three Lesson (For to please refer the T • • • • and Kandinsky played a ubiquitous and colorful part and colorful in the story a ubiquitous of played Kandinsky modern art. of Founder the rider) group, (Blue Reiter Blaue compatriots’ his Russian shared Kandinsky and excitement hope of years, Revolution the post-1917 October an eighteen-year after home and returned sojourn in Germany. the school, closed Bauhaus at the until Nazis remained He in 1933. Orange predilection for geometry. for predilection both the Bauhaus aes- reflects work artist’s in the This change thetic and the simplified geometric forms and graphic design by generated V t riding his bicycle. that the lightweight of steel realized tubular suddenly He the bicycle’s be construction. used in furniture handlebars could had idea an enor- This revolutionary mous impa steel. using tubular designers were experimentation with industrially produced Breuer’s and products handcrafted from with a shift in the Bauhaus also coincided materials away Gropius: by coined fulfilling motto the new toward and technology—a “art unity.” new Kandinsky, his Bauhaus friend and mentor after named the chair Breuer who had immedi- at The printmaking workshop at the Bauhaus embodied the school’s ideals of ideals The printmaking at the Bauhaus embodied the school’s workshop collaboration and production. portfolios, published master The workshop Bauhaus iconic developed typography design, and poster the students. used by and was actively Kandinsky’s become an internationally acclaimed architect, acclaimed an internationally become the to was initially apprenticed Breuer Bauhaus carpentry workshop. was during this time he began It that experimenting with fur- design. niture A

LESSONS 16 LESSONS 17 igue and Marcel Duchamp) on The Museum of The Museum on Duchamp) igue and Marcel Art’s Modern t Lar i nr e as H epublic” was a brief to) referred (as it is now in Ger- moment promising but h was invented accidentally by the Bavarian actor and playwright Alois Sene- and playwrightAlois actor the Bavarian by accidentally was invented uc y h eimar Republic le (s imar R have your students research different periods of different research students your have Republic,Weimar the the including c ap e e: www.moma.org. r g W sit icy y’s history between the two world wars, history world the two between y’s the city named after of Weimar. in Working “ b Ask your students to compare Kandinsky’s print and Breuer’s chair.What and lines do shapes print and Breuer’s Kandinsky’s to compare Ask your students both How are do your students notice? differences What have in common? the two designs of mechanical reproduction? items forms alone or in a group. between working on the differences to reflect Ask your students What by the Bauhaus? fostered creativity advantages of the kind of collaborative might be some of the e oups, CTIVITIES he r Republic’s rise and its early years (1918–23); rise and its early years Republic’s Era Golden (1923–29); Stresemann’s and the rise of fall of and subsequent Hitler (1930–33). the Republic W felder (1771–1834).felder stumbled and when Senefelder how investigate to students your Ask and write inven- upon his discovery. accidental about another research to students your Ask discipline). tion (in any 4. The W T 3. The Beauty of the Bicycle invention. recent is a relatively that the bicycle people realize Few to students your Direct the origins ofinvestigate by been inspired artists other who have research and to the bicycle the b 2. An Invention of Accident Litho man g A 1. Design a Chair a prototype a chair. for develop the design to how students your Direct consider to them Ask ofand materials today. might the world the chair reflect as be as creative to them Encourage purpose be also used in could a different used a material for in thinking about how Breuer designing a chair. (using line drawing and/or chair their sketch to students and to elements) your collage Ask write an explanatory paragraph of design their intentions. • • " 2 ⁄ 1 x 2 ⁄ 1 33 x 8 ⁄ 3 x14 4 ⁄ 3 Radio- x11 2 ⁄ 1 dern Art,York. New o ustav Klucis.ustav Latvian, Gerrit Rietveld. Dutch, G M f . 1922. Construction of cardboard, paper, wood, d um o (106.1 x 36.8 x 36.8 cm). The e " 2 ⁄ 1 use erard van de Groenekan. van de erard The IMAGE NINE: (31.8 x 28.9 x 85.1 cm). Manufacturer: G ofMuseum Art, Modern York. New Gift of S. and Ronald Carole Jo Lauder.Artists Rights © 2006 Society (ARS), Beeldrecht, / York New Amsterdam 1888–1964. Wheelbarrow. Child's 1923. wood, Painted 12 thread, and metal brads, 45 paint Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection Sidney and Harriet Janis Fund IMAGE TEN: 14 1895–1944. Maquette for Announcer M ison between a child’s wheelbarrow and a propagandistic Soviet loud- and a propagandistic wheelbarrow child’s a between ison mpar o c a e mak

o INTRODUCTION T incongruous. seem at first may speaker However, interesting are inspection upon close there be drawn the bold, between to connections Gustav by employed simple shapes and colors and GerritKlucis Rietveld, in applying modernist and prin- ideas artists interested who were design. everyday ciples to LESSON FOUR: Ideal Objects LESSON FOUR:

LESSONS 18 LESSON OBJECTIVES • Students will make connections between two design objects intended for different purposes.

• Students will be introduced to the ways in which artists can affect social and political behav- ior through design.

INTRODUCTORY DISCUSSION • Ask your students to define the word “propaganda” (they may refer to a dictionary and/or draw on prior knowledge for the definition). Divide your class up into small groups. Ask each group to come up with a set of criteria for successful propaganda.

19 • In-class writing exercise: Ask your students (with partners or on their own) to choose an L E

object from the classroom that has been designed and manufactured. Examples could range S S from a paper clip to a slide projector.Ask your class to respond to the following questions: O N What is the purpose of this object? Does the design successfully address the function of this S object? Why or why not? Did the designer(s) take into account how the object looks? Is it an appealing design? How does the design of this object affect behavior (such as when, how, and why it is used)?

IMAGE-BASED DISCUSSION Begin by looking at Gerrit Rietveld’s Child’s Wheelbarrow (Image Nine). Refrain from telling your students the title right away.

• Ask your students to look closely at the object. What basic shapes and forms can they iden- tify in the work? What types of colors do they see? What do they think the object was designed for and why? Tell them that the object is a child’s wheelbarrow. Ask them to explain whether or not they think the wheelbarrow is an example of good design.

Rietveld was a member of de Stijl (“the style”), a Dutch group of artists that published a fine arts magazine between 1917 and 1932 devoted to art and architecture. Mondrian (discussed in Lesson One), a well-known member of the group, helped to develop a major principle of de Stijl: the perpendicular relationship between vertical and horizontal lines. This composi- tional concept comes to life in many of Rietveld’s designs for furniture and architecture. In fact, Rietveld’s trademark use of crossing, perpendicular joints became known as the “Rietveld joint.”The Rietveld joint produces designs that, rather than being dovetailed and seamless, reveal their straight-edged, architectural shapes.

• Looking at the image of Child’s Wheelbarrow again, ask your class to identify examples of Rietveld’s joint.

• Draw and Describe exercise: Ask your students to work with partners. Direct one member of each pair to be the “drawer.” Direct the other member of each pair to be the “describer.” Ask the drawers to turn their backs on the projected image so that they can no longer see it. Each drawer should have a piece of paper and a pencil. Direct the describers to face the wall. Project Klucis’s Maquette for Radio-Announcer (Image Ten) onto the wall. Ask the describers to look at the image. Ask them to describe to the drawers the lines and shapes that they see in this object as clearly as possible, so that their partners can attempt to draw the object. After five minutes or so, ask the students to finish up. Ask them to describe their experience.

• Inform your students of the title and date of Klucis’s work. A “maquette” is a model. Ask them how they think this title might reveal the purpose of the object. with ,” which objects (such RECH is a successful Radio-Announcer your students (individu- students your , Constructivist Radio-Announcer hotomontage p as part of a series of portable collapsible been commissioned to work on a propaganda on work to been commissioned e v ha y embodies the simplicityof Radio-Announcer ow. ine that the imag heelbarr o W Radio-Announcer s ,” which are superimposed by smaller black letters reading “ ,” reading superimposed letters smaller black are which by nts t kable number of number kable and books their distinguished posters by propagandistic e their school.their The purpose of be the campaign general publicity could or, more r xample. not? why or Why effective? the propaganda Is Child’ ud o mar s f LENIN e r n a in groups) cause. their for should design a poster in rele- can be displayed The posters our st r ith an e d o e

y Rietveld’ design. specifically, More or why not? Why purpose? do they think it achieves its propagandistic Ask your students to compare the shapes and colors of Maquette for the shapes and colors Ask your students to compare Maquette for Ask your students whether or not they think sing text and artistic techniques such as collage or or as collage and artistic such sing text techniques l udent government or in extracurricular or activities. government udent sk y

uc specifically, and order, cleanliness school promote to etiquette, classroom participation or in st U campaig al vant parts of administration) and/or students effectiveness. their on (by and judged the school 2. Research Propaganda 2. Research with being of one Credited artists the first experiment with to photomontage, pro- Klucis d striking design and characteristic red, black, colors. and white of Some Plan. Year Five his most notable Stalin’s designs promoted Plan (information can be Year Five and report Stalin’s on research to students your Ask site:Web teen Studio, Red on http://redstudio.moma.org). found MoMA’s the main forms of identify to students your Ask in use today. propaganda come to them Ask up w ACTIVITIES 1. School Propaganda A • • Klucis designedKlucis this model of“radio-announcer” a the transmission for of public Lenin’s speech marking of the fifth anniversary of Revolution the October 1917. The bright let- red “ read ters kiosks and stands to be placed in the streets of in the streets be placed kiosks and stands to Moscow. of Some these stands and kiosks performed tasks simultaneously. multiple for The Maquette means “speech.”means Announcer.” “Radio writing The smaller black reads top the along preparatory drawings the maquette, for Klucis’s In ofoutside the reads the loudspeakers purpose. propagandistic megaphone,”creating further the object’s on emphasis “revolution for designedKlucis Maquette as the works discussed in Lesson Two) in the reciprocal tension of tension in the reciprocal Two) discussed Lesson in as the works its cables, bold colors, and text.significance of the notion that the fully embraced Klucis art its applica- on depended purposes. everyday tion to Constructivists soon discover would Russian and other Klucis of application that the most effective art their not be in architecture, would textiles, fur- or as in Soviet propaganda. so much niture

LESSONS 20 3. Children’s Furniture Design Ask your students to design a prototype for a piece of furniture intended for a five- to seven- year-old child. The elements of the design must come from basic shapes: circles, semicircles, squares, rectangles, and triangles. Students can interpret the dimensions of the shapes as they see fit (for example, rectangles may be elongated, triangles made narrow or wide, et cetera). Students should begin by drawing a sketch for their design accompanied by a writ- ten paragraph explaining its function.

Students should then create a maquette for their design, using glue, tape, scissors, construc- tion paper, and poster board and/or cardboard.

21 L E S S O N S LESSON FIVE: Ideal Performance

22 L E S S O N S IMAGE THIRTEEN: Oskar Schlemmer. German, 1888–1943. Study for “The Triadic Ballet.”c. 1921–23. Gouache, ink, and cut-and-pasted gelatin silver prints 5 5 on black paper, 22 ⁄8 x 14 ⁄8" (57.5 x 37.1 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of Lily Auchincloss

IMAGE FOURTEEN: El Lissitzky. Russian, 1890–1941. The New Man from Figurines: the three-dimensional design of the electro-mechanical Show “Victory over the Sun.” 1920–1921, published 1923. One from a portfo- 1 5 lio of ten lithographs, composition: 12 ⁄8 x 12 ⁄8" 7 (30.8 x 32.1 cm); sheet: 21 x 17 ⁄8" (53.3 x 45.4 cm). Publisher and printer: Robert Leunis & Chapman, Hannover. Edition: 75. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Purchase 1944. © 2006 Artists Rights Soci- ety (ARS), New York

INTRODUCTION The history of modern art has many examples of artists’ collaboration with choreographers, musicians, and writers in the staging of performances, many of which shocked audiences. While artists were more likely to be responsible for set designs and costumes, some also wrote and even directed performances. LESSONS 23 Ask ed them. What is he or she is he What son? Ask them to describe . ed or anger ho is this per W . , 308. acter Art in Theory in Art 12 es they can identify in the image ol,“stage” the school’s also directed workshop. The Bauhaus, an ho hat do your students notice about the space these figures inhabit? these figures hat do your students notice about the space sc W cise:the sketches. in one of your students to choose a character Ask Ask auhaus in detail. B e lective as well as a school, as well lective the integration valued of the arts, produc- and focused on ,Ask what name they would give to the character. and why? ol man r ic c sk your students to think about the role that costumes play in a performance. about the role sk your students to think can What ist Oskar Schlemmer,“Diary Extracts, in 1923,” July/August Students will compare two different designs for theatrical costumes by artists Oskar by artists Oskar for theatrical costumes designs two different compare Students will design. artistic ideals to theater artists applied their consider how these Students will Schlemmer and Lissitzky. Schlemmer them to write a short description about the char them to write a short description about the each figur In-class writing exer Ask your students how many figur Ask your students if they have ever seen a performance that shock Ask your students if they have ever seen a costumes tell us about a character? How can costumes tell a story? a character? costumes tell us about kinds of choices a set designer might make. Ask your students what of an audience going to see a performance. Ask your students to consider the expectations of the audience? role is the What A who is staging a kinds of choices might be made by a director Ask your students what performance (dance, opera, or play). them to explain the circumstances. wearing t eveloped by Schlemmer over the course of the course over Schlemmer by eveloped years, several a plot. the ballet did not have NRODUCTORY DISCUSSION NRODUCTORY ing, “pure,” modern forms in painting, furniture, architecture, arts. applied and other masks, made workshop stage costumes, The and sets, trained in professional were and students production.stage The performances, of outside venues also toured which the school, embod- the Bauhaus.Whileied and promoted he used abstracted, geometric forms, main- Schlemmer tained the importanceof the figure. wrote: he once As 12. The word “triadic” The word of the prevalence to refers in the performance: three the number three dancers, movements, musical three artistic and three (dance, elements costume, and music). D Instead, a story told moving about geometric the figures forms. by The ballet music was set to Hindemith. Paul composer the avant-garde and 1929, 1923 the years Between Schlemmer, who taught painting, drawing, at and sculpture the Ge • Ballet”“The in numerical patterns. Triadic interest must for Study Schlemmer’s reflects “We the marvel of by be astonished to ourselves allow proportion, of the splendour by arithmeti- cal ratios and numerical correspondences, the construct and the principles need from we ofresults enquiries,”he such wrote. once Begin by looking at Schlemmer’s Study for “The Triadic Ballet”“The Triadic for Study Thirteen). (Image Begin looking at Schlemmer’s by to Explain the artist. by a ballet for developed that this is a preparatory sketch students your • • IMAGE-BASED DISCUSSION • • I • • LESSON OBJECTIVES • • ar . on- C uturist Study F s and Victory overVictory the le”), Bauhaus, and y Victory overVictory the Sun uprematism uprematism and Schlemmer’ S the st opera (“ ictory over the Sun’s jl V i (Image Fourteen).(Image from Refrain St e Futurist d The New Man s ?” The New Man The New es in Lissitzky’ 13 The New Man the figur e ct was never fully realized,ct was never portfolio of Lissitzky’s puppet designs je o r Aleksei Kruchenykh.Aleksei the mini- by was also shocked the audience But y ll as in the international movements ll movements as in the international the p xt b e e h as w , lthoug nsical t played a major role in the modern Russian art movements art movements in the modern Russian role a major played A eaturing such wildly named characters as “Globetrotter in Time,”“Globetrotter eaturing wildly such as named characters “Gravediggers,” y f ” nse e. tivism c would only be staged once more that year. more be staged once only would the title suggests, As the opera of the tale tells pets. so, doing In further reinforced have Lissitzky would sk your students what shapes they can identify. sk your students what

uc Ibid, 308. and creative subject ofand creative all times: humanity, itself. figure the human been has described Man ofas the measure all things. Indeed! Ask your students to compar A title, the work’s your students to Introduce to identify the figure. and ask them Ask them to body. parts of the different represented describe how Lissitzky to Does it seem appropriate “ the is called them that this figure for “The Triadic Ballet.”Triadic similarities can they find? Based on their observations and this What “The for lesson, by both artists. and ideas shared ask your students to identify some themes But one great theme still theme great one abides,immemoriallyBut everlastingly old but new,the object depicted ew Ones.” ew r

xists, mal set and bright, geometrically Malevich. designed shaped by costumes of a production Lissitzky saw it with stage to mechanical the opera and was inspired in 1920 pup intentions. the title of page In the portfolio, the modern vision Lissitzky emphasizes of the opera, writing,“The of as the expression sun the heavens energy from down old world is torn modern man,by virtue who by of his technological superiority his own energy creates sour telling them the title them righttelling away. Dada. of many Like peers, his Russian furthering to Lissitzky was dedicated the goals of the Soviet Union. firmly of in the benefits believed He art, reproduced mechanically and he his books, mass-produced repeatedly posters, and prints. Met with outrage by audiences when with performed it was first in St. audiences outrageMet by Petersburg, 13. • st “The New Man”is“The New radical in the a character 1913 Russian the sun.conquering The half first of of the opera consists of featuring the capture scenes four the sun; half, the second of consisting scenes, two capture. the sun’s after life explores and Matiushin Mikhail in part was due the radically by music to chaotic discontent The audience’s the no • • Direct your students’ your Direct Lissitzky’s to attention “Caligula in the Same Person,”“Traveler through All the Ages,”“Telephone Talker,”and “The Talker,”and Ages,”“Telephone All the through the Same in Person,”“Traveler “Caligula N Lissitzk Sun e

LESSONS 24 LESSONS 25 costume designuturist theyic costume Design a Costume . 3. Great Collaborations:3. Great Music Art, Dance, of the collaboration projects research to students your Direct artist Robert Rauschenberg, Cage, John composer Cunningham. Merce and choreographer consider to have been successful. have to consider a movie, from be taken they may choose The costume play, ballet, opera. or what kinds of consider to students your Ask designer the costume choices the design effective. what and made makes 2 of (either a play from a scene for design a set to and costumes students your Ask own their in class). being read a play from or choosing some begin should sketching Students by and set. designs the costumes and writing for ideas their outlining a proposal ACTIVITIES to. . . goes Award 1. And the write individually) or to (in groups students about a f your Ask ities can be found in the two dictators’ities can be in the two found ratio- hat similar ks? Why do they think they were chosen to be exhibited to chosen they do think they were Why ks? W r . o w sho the w e The Museum ofThe Museum Art, Modern an identify to students and ask your o rate Art rate Web quest to MoMA’s Online Collection at www.moma.org. your Ask MoMA’s to quest Web mpar o a isit t ne c e n t g y e D lass v ’s teen site, teen ’s Studio, Red view to activities; online “talk bulletin board the site’s c nts o e a e 1937 ud ould the oMA s our students to research Stalin’s Socialist Realism (officially beginning (officially in 1934) and Socialist Realism Stalin’s research to our students w r’ aniz ice originally in the reproduction? Have their ideas about this work changed? Why or Why changed? about this work ideas their Have originallyice reproduction? in the ether? w

eb Quests nd st g itle o udents to research other works by artists in this guide. by works included other research to udents also want to may Students sk y OR FURTHER CONSIDERATION OR FURTHER

e isit M uch as photomontage and bold, as photomontage uch abstract design with suspicion. increasing would The result o nales for banning modern art?nales for RESEARCH PROJECTS Politics and Ar art movements the progressive opposed aggressively Hitler Adolph Stalin and Both Joseph discussed in this guide. the 1930s, By techniques Stalin began view to Soviet Propaganda s realism.”Hitler,“social for mandate be a government-issued most forms of deemed having modern articonoclastic degenerate, and banned and schools artistic down shut collectives as the Bauhaus. such A H artwork that was included in this guide. artwork that was included looking at the actual that they work, are Now they and scale. its size should consider with the in the Museum the work compare to them Ask classroom. in the that they saw reproduction that they didn’t details now Do they see any not not? why of the works consider to students your Ask art viewing. they the one are installed around H W S Visit MoMA Org t After completing the lessons in this guide, the lessons completing After a list of make to students ask your questions any of more or about one still have they may the artists. categories into questions their Organize their own research.so that they can conduct biographical include questions; may Categories of about a specificquestions work art, the artist as why it and what made types such of mate- rials the artist used; life. during the artist’s events historical regarding and questions CONCLUDING QUESTIONS F st v back”; interviews and teen-led with artists in art about issues and curators and design.

FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION 26 FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION 27 eturned acticed by udd and Robert Ryman r ematism and Constructivism as pr acteristics of Supr esearch how artists such as Andy Warhol and Barbara Kruger used tech- and Barbara Warhol Andy how artists such as esearch York and Chicago leading centers of leading centers and Chicago York art. of The presence these artists and w e N e some of the formal char ies lik to Ask your students to investigate how artists such as Donald J Ask your students to investigate how artists Ask your students to r niques pioneered by Klucis,niques pioneered Rodchenko, such as collage, and Lissitzky photomontage, text, and designs. and bold colors Malevich, Lissitzky, Rodchenko, Popova, and others. architects, of with along the rediscovery of and the establishment avant-garde the Russian “new”the Bauhaus in Chicago, a modernist revival. led to • • Looking Ahead ofMany the artistsAmerican art. impact discussed had a major in this guide on of influx An II helped make War immigrationWorld during forced from modernists resulting European cit Artists discussed in this guide, with the Bauhaus Stijl, and de as those involved such were loss of the unprecedented to in response ideals utopian pursue to inspired and destruc- life I.Ask artists, other tion of research to students War your as the Dadaists and Sur- such World 5),Art and Ideas (discussed in Modern realists the war and its aftermath. to who responded well-known artists and architects involved with well-known involved artists and architects r rwent shift in ideology. a major During this time e the O . y cult auhaus und , describe used of to homes the during the High stonemasons ieth-century style of the traditional, that abandoned representation the B nt e easingly politicized and split into different factions.easingly different politicized and split into Constructivist prin- ude Josefude Albers, Breuer, Marcel Klee, Paul Rohe, van der Mies Ludwig icipants and fa Developed by the Russian avant-garde at the time of avant-garde the Russian by Developed Revolution the October l y-tw t l Bauhütten yle of the use of was based on expression primary colors, shapes, rectangular ear me incr Dutch term meaning “the style,”“de Stijl” style,”“de “the meaning term Dutch was the name of a fine arts magazine n in Leiden from 1917 to 1932. to 1917 from in Leiden of a group to also refers The term artists and archi- The Bauhaus was a school created by the German architect Walter Gropius in Gropius Walter the German architect by The created Bauhaus was a school o c A olitically charged meaning.olitically charged of Constructivists (many Suprematists) former them A d e hose st f form. three-dimensional 1922 and 1923, auhaus inc auhaus par o ism: lishe n Stijl: ee-dimensional representation of representation ee-dimensional and objects and focused the geometric space on depic- I ts w

n LOSSARY c ould b ub

onducted influential lectures in Weimar that were attended by Bauhaus students. by attended that were Weimar in lectures influential Concur- onducted io ial B e 1917,Weimar, in opened first which Germany, Dessau and Berlin, to relocated and then it down, finally closed the Nazis before in 1933. the to reference name makes The school’s German word De C Constructivism: Bauhaus: G of 1917, the goal of understandable art universally make was to this idealistic movement life. everyday and essential to of the founding With the Soviet in 1922, state Constructivists w Middle Ages. Middle its training though The Bauhaus conducted artistsworkshops, students where gained practical skills and hands-on in art, craft, and industrial and architectural design. The Bauhaus manufacturing focused on artistic as teapots, such designs items household for fur- niture, lighting fixtures, fabrics, and jewelry. pub t thr t ciples would spread and take on new forms in the schools of forms new in the schools on and take spread ciples would the German Bauhaus and Stijl; de Dutch however, of outside the newly formed Soviet Union, Constructivism would lose its p Gan,Aleksei include Gabo, Naum (Jean Pougny), Puni Ivan Rodchenko, Aleksandr Varvara Stepanova,Vladimir Stenberg, Georgy and Vladimir Tatlin. and the B Laszló Moholy-Nagy, Lilly Reich, and Oskar Schlemmer. Gropius, traditional who the need for had previously emphasized craftsmanship, turned the Bauhaus’focus of fusion a to technology and art. the result shift was likely This philosophical of of the influences Constructivism. Stijl de Russian and Theo van Doesburg, Stijl de artist, c rently, of exhibition a major art was held in Berlin. Russian was that Bauhaus stu- The result art the artists even and themselves. Russian and facultydents encountered artists Russian influen- become to on and go in Germany remain would Kandinsky Vasily El Lissitzky and t and asymmetrical balance.the chaotic to response was also a direct Stijl The de movement I,and of events and destructive War artis- a new that developing believed its members World a means oftic style represented and of rebuilding harmonic order. creating De Stijl princi- the German on Bauhaus group. influence a major have ples would Stijl de Well-known artists Theo van Doesburg, include Piet Mondrian, and Gerrit Rietveld.

GLOSSARY 28 GLOSSARY 29 ), drawing with involves as the technique graph de followers,de that he had 1920 Malevich felt exhausted by but and drawing ( ar ) litho ant-g v collage technique,collage typically photographs photomontage with combines A nvented by the Russian artist Kazimir Malevich between 1913 and 1914, between Malevich artist Kazimir the Russian by nvented printmaking technique based on the repulsion of the repulsion based on printmaking technique and water, oil lithography I ussian a iet propaganda. artists include with associated Suprematism Well-known A v movement in art and literature that was launched in Italy in 1909 by Filippo in 1909 by in Italy in art that was launched and literature movement R ies of painting nonobjective, simplifiedforms. was this time Suprematism By o y ozanova. A S y, Liubov’ Sergeievna Popova, (Jean Pougny), Puni Ivan Rodchenko, Aleksandr ilit R o a t man lg t ossib n c a r esig uprematism: ormer Suprematists), utilitarian pursue who forms material ranging textile would from can be used to create a variety create can be used of to effects. drawn and painterly the from is derived The term ( stone for words Greek Tommaso Marinetti and was devoted to the glorification to of Marinetti and was devoted Tommaso world, the mechanical war, and speed.dynamic Photomontage: S Lithography: Futurism: Suprematism was a new,Suprematism radical form of painting. assertion Malevich’s to refers The term “pure”that the of experience the simplest geometric in art forms and dynamic expressed earlier forms of over reigned supreme compositions art. representational would Suprematism att grease or a liquid called “tusche”called a liquid or grease a polished limestone. on slab or graphic and text. images the p d also considered inaccessible and elitist by the Constructivist and elitist by artists inaccessible of (some also considered whom were f El Lissitzk and O New New New York:New Harry N. nthology of Changing A n A New York: of New The Museum aven: Yale University Press, aven: University Yale New York: New of The Museum (1884). York: New Penguin H w e ew Art,ew The Collected Life: the New N 1900–2000: , The N y .York: of New The Museum Art, Modern New York:New Rizzoli, 1990. Theor in all & Company, 1986. .York: of New The Museum Art, Modern 1936. t r H A G.K. n: o ood, eds. Aleksandr Rodchenko Aleksandr ost W vich and the Art ofvichArt and the Geometry. B ModernStarts: People, Places, Things. ale aul Primitivism, Cubism, Century. Twentieth The Early Abstraction: Artists & Prints: Masterworks from The Museum of & Prints:The Museum MasterworksArtists from Art. Modern The Russian Avant-Garde Book: 1910–1934. Avant-Garde The Russian Fine Disregard: What Makes Modern Art Modern. Art Modern What Makes Disregard: Fine Flatland: A Romance ofA Romance Flatland: Dimensions Many Cubism and Abstract Art Abstract and Cubism A azimir M les and P K husetts: Publishers, Blackwell 2003. c har Piet Mondrian. C f o assa n, s , John. M r iso ing r it

ilne r ar oltzman, Harry Martin, and James eds. and trans. ELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESOURCES BIBLIOGRAPHY ELECTED

deas. Modern Art,Modern 1999. Harrison, et Charles al. Books, 1998. Haven: Yale University Press, University Haven: 1993. Yale H M Art,Modern 2002. Art into Life: Russian Constructivism, Russian Life: into Art 1914–1932. Abbott, Edwin A. S Dabrowski, et al. Magdalena H 1996. Varnedoe, Kirk. Abrams, 1990. Wye, Deborah et al. W Barr, H, Alfred Jr. 1998. Elderfield, et al, John eds. I York: of The Museum Art, Modern 2004. Rowell, et al. Margit

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY & RESOURCES 30 SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY & RESOURCES 31 itions/2002/russian/index.html xhib rg/e [email protected]. ma.o c oveart.com r modern artists. A department of pre- in 1989 to was established at MoMA Archives .g .bauhaus.de/english/index.htm .mo y he Grove Dictionary ofhe Grove subscription) Art Online (requires Timeline ofTimeline Art History, of Museum The Metropolitan Art,York New www.metmuseum.org ABOUT MOMA ARCHIVES ofThe Museum Art and rich has a long history of Modern of in the careers involvement man T www ADDITIONAL ONLINE RESOURCES ofArchive/Museum The Bauhaus Design, Berlin www The Museum ofThe Museum Art, Modern York New www.moma.org. collection online MoMA’s www.moma.org/collection/ Book Avant-Garde The Russian www a Print? Is What www.moma.org/exhibitions/2001/whatisaprint Studio:Red Teens for A Site www.redstudio.moma.org ONLINE RESOURCES serve and make accessible to the public historical documents about the Museum and about the Museum documents historical the public to accessible serve and make modern and contemporary art. If with students for a setup a workshop to like would you look and discuss primary through to archivist of documents Museum correspondence early directors, the Museum’s between curators, and various artists, call or (212) 708-9617 e-mail ar moma.org. @ ma.org. mo @ proach fosters an ideal environment for live, for environment an ideal fosters proach interactive hing ap c ea t d moma.org. @ y-base uir ent, a CD-ROM, worksheets,Educators, for the Guide passes. and Museum Some inq s ud ’ st oconferencing. with Looking MoMA, classes, videoconferencing the Museum’s pro- y e r

oMA SCHOOL PROGRAMS PROGRAMS oMA SCHOOL oMA e ea. for reproductions color kit containing teaching in a Box—a MoMA include All classes

rograms are available in Spanish. available rograms are id rams,schoolprograms e-mail or please call (212) 333-1112 v v e vide multipart programming for teachers and students outside the New York metropolitan York the New outside vide and students multipart teachers programming for ar DISTANCE LEARNING DISTANCE M PLANNING A MUSEUM VISIT classroom, in your or at MoMA Educator with discussion a guided schedule a Museum To Services Group at (212) 708-9685.please contact Pro- information about School more For g Guides for educators with CD-ROMs are available for loan throughout the year. loan for throughout available are with educators CD-ROMs for Guides All schools these resources. have to access free unlimited e-mail teacherprograms 708-9882 or information, more For please call (212) TEACHER RESOURCES M Visit MoMA’s Web site at www.moma.org/education for information about guides and information about guides for at www.moma.org/education site Web MoMA’s Visit programs. teacher p Learning, information about Distance more For please call e-mail (212) 333-6574 or distancelearning

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