Varvara Stepanova Day *

* (restored)

 

‘A leading Russian Constructivist artist, graphic, and costume and set designer Varvara Stepanova was best known for her textile and clothing designs and, like her husband Alexander Rodchenko and Vladimir Tatlin, became committed to utilitarian designs geared to social needs and economic mass production.

‘After studying at the School of Fine Arts in Kazan from 1910 to 1911 she moved to Moscow where she studied at the Stroganoff School of Applied Art from 1913 to 1914. After working with avant‐garde abstract forms she was, from 1920, an active member of Inhuk (the Institute of Artistic Culture) which had been established in 1920. In the following year, with her husband Rodchenko and others, she became involved with Productivism—the mass‐production of industrial and applied art.

‘She designed utilitarian workers’ clothing, strongly coloured, geometrically patterned sportswear, and theatre costumes and sets, such as that for The Death of Tarelkin produced by Meyerhold in Moscow in 1922. She also taught at the Moscow Vkhutemas and, in the mid‐1920s, produced many designs for mass‐produced cotton textiles often characterized by flat, coloured abstract patterns.

‘In the same period she contributed to a number of avant‐garde periodicals such as LEF (1923–5) and Novy LEF (1927) and increasingly devoted her attention to book and periodical design, often in conjunction with her husband Rodchenko, with whom she collaborated closely on photographic albums in the 1930s. After the Second World War she worked on the periodical the Soviet Woman (1945–6). She died in Moscow in 1958.’ — collaged

 

___________
Portrait gallery

 

_____
Further

Varvara Stepanova @ Wikipedia
VS @ MoMA
VS @ Monoskop
Stepanova’s ‘The Results of the First Five-Year Plan’, 1932
‘Badass Lady Creatives [in History]: Varvara Stepanova
‘The short life of the equal woman’
Book: ‘Varvara Stepanova: The Complete Work’
The Russian Fashion Blog: ‘Constructivism in Russia in the 1920s’
‘Alexander Rodchenko and Varvara Stepanova Heritage’
Toot as in foot.: Varvara Stepanova
‘Adventures in Feministory: Stepanova and Popova’
‘Varvara Stepanova: Standing Ovation, Seated
Russian Avant-garde Gallery Forum: Varvara Stepanova

 

_______________________
Dangerous Art: From Varvara Stepanova to Pussy Riot

 

_____________________
Program of the First Working Group of Constructivists (Excerpt)
Varvara Stepanova & Alexander Rodchenko

 

The Group of Constructivists has set itself the task of finding the communistic expression of material structures.
In approaching its task the group insists on the need to synthesize the ideological aspect with the formal for the real transference of laboratory work on to the rails of practical activity.
Therefore, at the time of its establishment, the group’s program in its ideological aspect pointed out that:
1) Our sole ideology is scientific communism based on the theory of historical materialism.
2) The theoretical interpretation and assimilation of the experience of Soviet construction must impel the group to turn away from experimental activity `removed from life’ towards real experimentation.
3) In order to master the creation of practical structures in a really scientific and disciplined way the Constructivists have established three disciplines: Tectonics, Faktura and Construction.
A) Tectonics or the tectonic style is tempered and formed on the one hand from the properties of communism and on the other from the expedient use of industrial material.
B) Faktura is the organic state of the worked material or the resulting new state of its organism. Therefore, the group considers that faktura is material consciously worked and expediently used, without hampering the construction or restricting the tectonics.
C) Construction should be understood as the organizational function of Constructivism.

If tectonics comprises the relationship between the ideological and the formal which gives unity to the practical design, and faktura is the material, the Construction reveals the very process of that structuring.
In this way the third discipline is the discipline of the realization of the design through the use of the worked material.
The Material. The material as substance or matter. Its investigation and industrial application, properties and significance. Furthermore, time, space, volume, plane, color , line and light are also material for the Constructivists, without which they cannot construct material structures.

The Immediate Tasks Of The Group
1) In the ideological sphere:
To prove theoretically and practically the incompatibility of aesthetic activity with the functions of intellectual and material production. The real participation of intellectual and material production as an equal element in the creation of communist culture.
2) In the practical sphere:
• To publish a statement. To publish a weekly paper, VIP [Vestnik Intellektual’nogo Proizvodstva; The Herald of Intellectual Production].
• To print brochures and leaflets on questions relating to the activities of the group.
• To construct designs. To organize exhibitions. To establish links with all the Production
Boards and Centres of that unified Soviet machine which in fact practically shapes and produces the emergent forms of the communist way of life.

3) In the agitational sphere:
i) The Group declares uncompromising war on art.
ii) It asserts that the artistic culture of the past is unacceptable for the communistic forms of Constructivist structures.

 

__________
Graphic Design

‘Though too often under-represented in its history, women were central to Constructivism in Russia. Varvara Stepanova designed some of the period’s most arresting graphics for posters and publications, working alongside her husband, Alexander Rodchenko. Collage played a key role in the development of the movement’s style, allowing for a mix of clean typography, active figures and engaging faces cut from photos, and thrusting geometric forms emblematic of the relentless march of Communism. Even in non-propaganda work, Stepanova’s shrewd ability to evoke motion on a static page shines.’ — NC A&T;

 

________
Sound Painting

Rtny Khomle (1918)

 

_____
Textiles

‘Stepanova carried out her ideal of engaging with industrial production in 1922 when she, with Lyubov Popova, became designer of textiles at the Tsindel (the First State Textile Factory) near Moscow, and in 1924 became professor of textile design at the Vkhutemas (Higher Technical Artistic Studios) while continuing typography, book design and contributing to the magazine LEF. As a constructivist, Stepanova not only transposed bold graphic designs onto her fabrics, but also focused heavily on their production. Stepanova only worked a little over a year at The First Textile Printing Factory, but she designed more than 150 fabric designs in 1924. Although she was inspired to develop new types of fabric, the current technology restricted her to printed patterns on monotone surfaces. By her own artistic choice, she also limited her color palette to one or two dyes. Although she only used triangles, circles, squares, and lines, Stepanova superimposed these geometric forms onto one another to create a dynamic, multi-dimensional design.’ — collaged

 

______
Clothing

‘In 1921, Stepanova moved almost exclusively into the realm of production, in which she felt her designs could achieve their broadest impact in aiding the development of the Soviet society. Russian Constructivist clothing represented the destabilization of the oppressive, elite aesthetics of the past and, instead, reflected utilitarian functionality and production. Gender and class distinctions gave way to functional, geometric clothing. In line with this objective, Stepanova sought to free the body in her designs, emphasizing clothing’s functional rather than decorative qualities. Stepanova deeply believed clothing must be looked at in action. Unlike the aristocratic clothing that she felt sacrificed physical freedom for aesthetics, Stepanova dedicated herself to designing clothing for particular fields and occupational settings in such a way that the object’s construction evinced its function. In addition, she sought to develop expedient means of clothing production through simple designs and strategic, economic use of fabrics.’ — collaged

 

_________
Gaust Chaba

‘Stepanova spent the 1910s studying at various art schools and working as a bookkeeper and secretary to make a living, all the while experimenting with abstract art forms. Her earliest notable body of work is her zaum’ (“transrational”) poetry, an approach spearheaded by the Futurist poets. Gaust Chaba, considered the masterpiece of Stepanova’s Visual Poetry series, is book of collaged paper and colored crayon and gouache text on found newspaper leaves.’ — collaged

 

 

*

p.s. Hey. ** jay, The United States’ mastery of the roadside attraction is something it can be proud of. If you try Paper Mario, start with The Thousand-Year Door. It’s the greatest one, and it’s just been rebooted for Switch. No, I’m actually sad the Olympics is over. It ended up being nothing but fun to live in its madcap proximity. ** David Ehrenstein, That sounds quite haunting. Oh, no doubt I would have liked Pasolini, no doubt. Awesome dude by all accounts. ** _Black_Acrylic, I would think so. Okay, that’s a start: the Leeds tie. My memory of being very into the Dodgers is that a long, stressful but exciting time of it is kind of the ultimate goal. ** Jack Skelley, Oh, wow, you did the Dennis the Menace place. That’s cool. Yeah, that extant Flintstones place by the Grand Canyon manages to be wack and disappointing simultaneously. No surprise about the Myth Lab launch. I told you, dude. Love, me. ** Mark, Hi, Mark! I can’t encourage you strongly enough to make dead theme parks a zine topic. Damn, I’m going to miss all off those zine fairs. But I’ll try to see Kid Congo here in the hood if I can. Thanks, buddy. ** Nika Mavrody, I read somewhere that they’re trying to restore and reopen Spreepark, but it’s hard to believe. ** Uday, I so am, indeed. As plainly as the nose on my face. I’ll try that forehead peck thing. I think it will startle though. I’m sure you’ll reassure your friend and maintain equilibrium with your sister. Oh, once Zac is back, we fully intend to manifest our anger at the producer in hopefully its full and final incarnation. It dropped ten degrees here today, so I’m essentially high. Thanks. ** Lucas, Hm, good question. I’d have to really think about that. Hm. Tsai Ming-Liang is great. Has the blog had a post about him? Hold on. Yes, d.l. Bill made one. Here. So happy you’re bouncing back and writing and zine-ing. Phantasialand! Of course I’m going to urge you to try Taron again, but I trust your judgement. I used to go roller skating a lot as a kid. My best friend’s dad owned this kind of legendary roller skating rink, Moonlight Rollerway, so I got in for free. It was fun. If you ever see old movies where characters roller-skate, they’re almost always doing it at Moonlight Rollerway. Do they still make skaters do the ‘Hokey Pokey’? That was my least favorite part. Yesterday was like living in the slums of hell, it was so hot, but today seems okay, and I continue to live. Thank you seeming to wish that I live. ** Jacob, Hi! I haven’t delved too deeply into Roblox yet mostly because of the recent heatwave’s slouchy effect, but I’m jonesing and chomping at the bit and drooling to and etc. I think ‘Sausage of Soul AKA Grasslands’ is highest on my agenda now. I remember mostly playing through Epic Mickey’s levels so I could get to the next cut scene part. My impression is that the war between formalists and free versists is ongoing but the free versists seem to be somewhat resigned to the fact that the formalists are going to more than likely get the academic positions that they want. They never instituted the pass thing because people were too pissed off, and France is well aware of what having pissed off French people can lead to. The stadiums and environs are still blocked off in anticipation of the Paralympics, but it’s okay. ** Misanthrope, Wii, wow, oldish school, nice. I do have an accent actually, or so I’m told. The LA accent is subtle but apparently there’s something in our phrasing and rhythm that gives us away. Speaking of old people, did you ever watch ‘Get Smart’? I guess it would have been in reruns in your case. If so, do you remember ‘The Craw’? ** Diesel Clementine, Oh, gosh, thanks! Wow, listening to some gabber sounds delicious. I’m going to re-delve therein. I’m honored by your reading my stuff in those unexpected locations while also being saddened that my stuff was a party to the crime of your heatstroke. You have excellent powers of concentration clearly. Oops! Some wonderful starving stranger probably enjoyed them? ** Steve, Among the listed dead attractions, I went to Yosemite Firefall, The Wawona Drive-Through Tree, Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour, and Dinosaur Land. The dead theme parks of note that I recall having gone to are P.O.P. (Pacific Ocean Park) on the Venice Pier in CA — one of the greatest parks of all time — the Busch Gardens in the San Fernando Valley, Japanese Village (Orange County), and Marineland (San Pedro, CA). Bette Midler was actually considered very cool and hip in her earliest years. I saw her live a few times. All the cool kids were into her at first. I got physically knocked down to the ground accidentally by Sylvester at one of her gigs because he was dancing up a mad storm. ** Matthew Doyle, Hi there, Matt! Well, all those places are defunct, so don’t get too excited. I have not seen that video but, as you can imagine, I am very excited to watch it. Jeez, thank you. Yeah, all my LA friends were semi-freaking out about that quake on social media for a good hour. Yes, the film is in its latest, never ending crisis, but what else is new. Hit me up. Great to see you! ** Bill, The Chutes boggled my mind, thinking of it existing there, wild. I mean, you make that book sound plenty interesting. And the last chapter sounds like a must in and of itself. Thank you, sir. ** Harper, So sorry about your less than stellar weekend. Yeah, I guess eyes on the unfortunately still distant prize of Sept, 23rd, or potentially prize-like. This rut will feel like it lasted a minute in the future, but that’s no help. Sorry, pal. ** Darby🫠, Covering your bases, job-wise, wise. Yesterday I was scalding, it was so fucking hot. Today is supposed to be okay. So far, it seems like the entrance to okayness. Otto Dix is cool, yeah. Moving stresses me out, and I hate the hassle of it, but it has always lead to a kind of fairytale newness quality entering my life. Getting away from crazy people and drugs is a no brainer, although most interesting locations have those things in abundance too. But at least you won’t necessarily know where to find them at first. ** Justin D, Thanks. Yes, haha. I was actually really amazed to see that there had been a full-fledged theme park in Portland at one time. I know Enchanted Forest. It’s actually made an appearance here in a post or two, I think. Both ‘Death in Venice’ the novella and ‘DiV’ the film are great, in my opinion, so one or the other or both. Monday it was unbearably, monstrously hot here, so the day was a total wash. And yours? Or, wait, your Tuesday? ** Thomas H, My pleasure. Yes, I do know about Crinkley Bottom! Someone here did a post a long time ago about Mr. Blobby, and I got to gaze upon images and videos of that dreamy, weird looking park or rather those parks. Gotcha, yeah, I count my lucky stars eternally that I don’t seem to have ADHD. I have my own stuff, but it seems to be stuff that makes me work obsessively. Nice about your solid sleep. It was brutally hot here all night, so I’m the opposite. Bleary. ** Okay. I decided to restore this old post and give you another chance to get to know the goings on of Varvara Stepanova. See you tomorrow.