Vladimir Tatlin (1885-1953)

I always have liked the works by Tatlin. Being one of the first true constructivist artists he has always interested me as an artist. Inspired by Pablo Picasso he soon began to experiment with cubistic patterns, but eventually ended making pure abstract constructions. One of this constructions is only realized as a maquette because the actual work was never executed.  He began creating objects that sometimes seem poised between sculpture and architecture. Initially trained as an icon painter, he soon abandoned the traditionally pictorial concerns of painting and instead concentrated on the possibilities inherent in the materials he used – often metal, glass, and wood. He wanted above all to bend art to modern purposes and, ultimately, to tasks suited to the goals of Russia’s Communist revolution. He is remembered most for his Monument to the Third International (1919-20).

A design for the Communist International headquarters, as said it was realized as a model but never built. It crystallized his desire to bring about a synthesis of art and technology, and has remained a touchstone of that utopian goal for generations of artists since. The arc of his career has come to define the spirit of avant-gardism in the 20^th century, the attempt to bring art to the service of everyday life.

www.ftn-books.com has some Tatlin titles available