Words | Sophy Grimshaw

With his striking angles and close-ups, Russian photographer Alexander Rodchenko was radically ahead of his time

EVEN IF YOU are not immediately familiar with the name of the Russian photographer and artist Alexander Rodchenko (1891-1956), many of you will still recognise his iconic 1924 advertising poster for the Moscow publishing house Gosizdat (part pictured left). The influence of this photomontage continues to resonate today – an album cover from Scottish band Franz Ferdinand is among the recent pop culture pastiches of it.

Rodchenko was also a painter and sculptor, but many believe the photography of this St Petersburg-born, avant-garde pioneer to be his most significant work, plus he certainly left his mark in multimedia. The bold collages and camera-slipped angles of his 1920s’ work have had a huge impact on contemporary graphic design, from advertising campaigns to magazine layouts and typography. More than this, his innovative new visuals helped to shape seminal artistic movements, such as Dadaism in the 1930s with its wry commentary on 20th-century life. Rodchenko’s flair for intimate portraiture remains sterling, whether his subject was a person, such as his mother, or a celebrated Soviet landmark.

Alexander Rodchenko: Revolution in Photography, from 7 February to 27 April, (admission £9), The Hayward, Southbank Centre, London SE1, +44 (0)870 380 0400; www.hayward.org.uk

	< Portrait of Mother 1924
Shukhov Tower > 1929
	< Girl with Leica 1934
Vladimir Mayakovsky’s > About That book cover 1923
	< Pioneer Girl 1930
Stairs > 1930