Alexander Rodchenko

Alexander Rodchenko was a Russian and Soviet artist, sculptor, photographer, and graphic designer. He was one of the founders of constructivism and Russian design. He was influenced by Cubism, Futurism, Suprematism and Constructivism. He studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts and the Académie de la Palette in Paris. He joined the Jack of Diamonds group and exhibited with the Peredvizhniki. He was a pioneer of abstract art and experimented with geometric forms and dynamic compositions. He also worked on stage design, book illustration and textile design. He was a communist and a supporter of the October Revolution. He abandoned painting in 1921 and embraced a more functional view of art and of the artist. He collaborated with the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky on a series of advertising campaigns. He taught at the Institute of Artistic Culture and the Higher State Art-Technical Studios. He died of tuberculosis in 1956 at the age of 64.