El’ Lisickij grafico costruttivista. La rivista “Vešč’-Gegenstand-Objet”

Abstract

This paper analyzes the graphic design of the international art journal “Vešč’-Gegenstand-Objet”, published in Berlin in 1922 by the Russian architect, painter, photographer and designer Lazar’ Markovič Lisickij (1890-1941), better known as El’ Lisickij, together with the Russian writer Il’ja Grigor’evič Èrenburg (1891-1967).
Although it lasted only three issues (issues one and two were combined in a single volume which appeared in March/April 1922, while the last number appeared in May 1922), “Vešč’” had a strong influence on contemporary art. It was published in German, French and Russian and was meant both as a bridge between Russia and Europe after the years of war and revolution and as a symbol of the beginning of a new creative era. Mainly focusing on new Suprematist and Constructivist works, the journal included essays on several fields of art such as literature, cinema, theatre, painting, sculpture, architecture and music.
In this paper I focus on the innovative graphic design of the two volumes of “Vešč’” entirely realized by El’ Lisickij. Referring to his own theories about book design, Lisickij created a functional and innovative layout and a striking cover, challenging the traditional graphic design practice by using exclusively standard typographic elements such as punctuation marks, typographic lines, geometric forms and typesetting.