On the third floor of the Galerienhaus, a building which houses 13 art galleries in the Kreuzberg neighborhood of Berlin, the Galerie Berinson is showcasing the photographs of Alexander Rodtschenko.
A selection of 24 photographs has been hung in the gallery with great finesse. Magnificent vintage prints dot the walls like a storybook. They are being exhibited for the simple pleasure of viewing them; only a few of the pictures are for sale, while the rest are on loan from private collections.
Although the subjects are distant (both geographically and historically), and although Rodchenko is long dead, we can still appreciate his vision, and the obvious enjoyment he took in capturing these images.
The focus is Moscow in the 1930s, with its military parades and marching bands. What we see are the masses, moving across the space of the city, and transformed by Rodchenko into geometric constructions. The athletes take on the appearance of Greco-Roman statues, and the city,is a a miniature model.
Rodchenko, one of the founders of Russian constructivism, not only took pictures. He also painted, sculpted and designed furniture, posters, theatrical sets and costumes over the course of his life, working with form, image and volume until his death in 1956.
His photographs are highly “constructed,” from the choice of subjects to the framing, cropping, printing and retouching—he even cut and pasted, taking derisive subjects and glorifying them through form.
The end of the exhibition presents a few beautiful photograms and collages which visually transmit powerful political and poetic messages. Viewers will stop and admire the explosive collage entitled “War of the Future.”
Eva Gravayat
Alexander Rodtschenko (1891-1956) « Photography »
From January 18th to April 28th, 2013
Galerie Berinson
Lindenstraße 34
3. Floor
10969 Berlin
Germany
