Description

Illustrated with 16 photogravures on plates, and line illustrations by F. Léger, and others. 140, 2 (publisher's adv.), 2 (blank) pp. 8vo. Orig. illus. wrappers with a Cubist drawing by F. Léger (220 x 160 mm). Moscow and Berlin, Gelikon, (January) 1922. First edition of an important work with a strong visual preseentation of Erenburg's text. One of 100 copies of an edition limited to 500 copies. The typography is Futurist amd is stikingly juxtaposed with Leger's illustrations. This rare treatise on contemporary avant-garde art by Erenburg (1891-1967) is not only noteworthy for its typographical experimentation, but it defends Contructivism in early art ("Oblozhka raboty Fernanda Lezhe") and includes also a penetrating analysis of the "new architecture" which Vladimir E. Tatlin and his work are seen to have generated. Among the artists the Russian critic considers are Léger, Lipchitz, Lissitzky, Picasso, Rodchenko, Van Doesburg and even from a Charlie Chaplin film. - A very good, uncut copy in the original wrappers designed by Léger. - Senkevitch, Soviet Architecture 1917-1962, no. 1120; cf. Compton, Russian Avent-Garde Books 1917-34, p. 52 & p. 153, no. 64; MoMA, no. 401. LITERATURE: RUSSIAN ; ART - GENERAL & APPLIED ; ARCHITECTURE ;