Tatlin: New Art for a New World

Influenced by Futurism, Fauvism, and Cubism, printmaker, set designer, and designer Vladimir Tatlin (1885–1953) made painting his artistic basis. Referencing Pablo Picasso’s assemblages, Tatlin developed his Counter Reliefs, three-dimensional sculptural constructions out of wood, cardboard, metal, and wire. With these, he unhinged the laws of painting, creating his own genre of art as well as a new understanding of the materials he used. His visionary, unrealized project of building a tower to propagate the ideals and aims of the Russian Revolution left its mark on generations of architects, artists, and authors. Tatlin exploded the boundaries of artistic activity and brought rhythm and motion to sculpture. This publication provides systematic insight into his oeuvre and reflects the most current research, starting with the young artist’s revolutionary élan.