El Lissitzky: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

El Lissitzky moved between Yiddish book illustration, Suprematist abstraction, constructed photography and exhibition architecture, carrying Russian avant-garde ideas westward to Germany and the Netherlands. This mix tracks the Vitebsk and Moscow sources that formed him, the Jewish folk-art thread beneath the abstraction, and the typographic and architectural descendants who built on his Prouns and page designs.

The Kynda mix for El Lissitzky

• Key Influence · Black Square by Kazimir Malevich (1915). Lissitzky joined Malevich at the Vitebsk People's Art School in 1919 and became a founding member of UNOVIS, the Suprematist collective Malevich led there. Black Square, first shown at the 0,10 exhibition in Petrograd, supplied the vocabulary of weightless geometric forms on white that Lissitzky extended into his Proun series — works he described as a station between painting and architecture rather than pure painting.
• Influencia Obscura · Painted ceiling of the Mogilev wooden synagogue by Chaim ben Isaac Segal (c. 1740). In 1916 Lissitzky travelled the Dnieper region with Issachar Ber Ryback documenting wooden synagogues for the Jewish Ethnographic Society, and he later wrote about the painted ceiling at Mogilev by the folk artist Chaim Segal. Its flattened animals, scrolling ornament and integrated Hebrew lettering shaped the beast-and-letter pages of his Yiddish children's books, including Had Gadya, before abstraction took over.
• Local Roots · Over the Town by Marc Chagall (1918). Chagall, a fellow Vitebsk Jew, founded the city's People's Art School and invited Lissitzky to teach graphics and architecture there in 1919. Lissitzky then helped bring in Malevich, whose Suprematist faction displaced Chagall and drove him out — the decisive rupture of Lissitzky's career. Chagall's floating Vitebsk rooftops mark the lyrical Jewish modernism Lissitzky left behind for geometry.
• Beyond the Medium · Man with a Movie Camera by Dziga Vertov (1929). Lissitzky's photograms, photomontages and self-portrait The Constructor share Vertov's conviction that the mechanical eye could see what the human one cannot. Both worked the Soviet montage culture of the 1920s, and Lissitzky's exhibition rooms — with moving panels, projected images and overlapping views — translated cinematic montage into physical space at Pressa in Cologne and the Hygiene exhibition in Dresden.
• Peer · Books (Please)! In All Branches of Knowledge by Alexander Rodchenko (1924). Rodchenko was Lissitzky's closest counterpart in Soviet graphic design: both built posters from photomontage, bold sans-serif type and diagonal axes, and both served the state with exhibition and publication work. This Lilya Brik poster for Lengiz, with its shouting figure and typographic megaphone, sits beside Lissitzky's Mayakovsky book designs as the defining image of 1920s Soviet constructivist graphics.
• From the Canon · Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge by El Lissitzky (1919). Made in Vitebsk during the Civil War, this lithographed poster compresses Suprematist geometry into a legible political act: a red wedge driving into a white circle. It is the hinge of his career, the moment abstract form found a propagandistic job and his Yiddish-illustration past gave way to a Soviet public language of pure shape, direction and colour.
• Key Collaborator · Dlya golosa (For the Voice) by Vladimir Mayakovsky (1923). Lissitzky designed this Berlin-printed collection of Mayakovsky's poems as a thumb-indexed book set entirely from typecase material, each poem announced by a constructed emblem so the volume could be navigated and read aloud. It is the landmark of constructivist typography and the fullest record of his partnership with the poet, for whom he also designed the montage-illustrated Pro eto.
• Legacy · Die neue Typographie by Jan Tschichold (1928). Tschichold's conversion to modernism followed his encounter with Soviet and Bauhaus work in the early 1920s, and his influential 1925 elementare typographie issue of Typographische Mitteilungen presented Lissitzky's work to the German printing trade. Die neue Typographie codified asymmetry, sans-serif type and the functional grid into rules that carried Lissitzky's page into mainstream commercial design.

What influenced El Lissitzky

• Kazimir Malevich. Lissitzky developed his work under Malevich’s guidance. (also via Black Square, On the New System in Art) “At this point Lissitzky subscribed fully to Suprematism and, under the guidance of Malevich, helped further develop the movement.” (Wikipedia)
• Suprematism. Lissitzky adopted Suprematism as an artistic direction. “Lissitzky ultimately favoured Malevich's suprematism and broke away from traditional Jewish art.” (Wikipedia)
• Yury Pen. Lissitzky received instruction from Pen. “In 1903, during a summer vacation he spent with his parents in Vitebsk, he started to receive instruction from Yury Pen , a famous Jewish artist and teacher.” (Wikipedia)
• Black Square by Kazimir Malevich (1915). Black Square (Kazimir Malevich) — titan for El Lissitzky “He was an important figure of the avant-garde, helping develop suprematism with his mentor, Kazimir Malevich, and designing numerous exhibition displays and propaganda works for the Soviet Union.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Counter-Composition V by Theo van Doesburg (1924). Counter-Composition V (Theo van Doesburg) — titan for El Lissitzky “In Berlin Lissitzky also met and befriended other artists, most notably Kurt Schwitters, László Moholy-Nagy, and Theo van Doesburg.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Constructivism. The article says Lissitzky drew on Constructivism in developing Prouns. “Prouns were his own, architectural version of suprematism, he also took a lot from the Russian constructivist movement.” (Wikipedia)
• The Red Wedge by Nikolai Kolli. Versari compares the poster’s visual language with Kolli’s previously described monument. (via Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge) “Versari argues that Lissitzky "adopted an almost identical language" for his Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge , though he never mentioned it.” (Wikipedia)
• Futurist Synthesis of War. Versari connects Lissitzky’s poster with the Futurist manifesto. (via Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge) “Art historian Maria Elena Versari connected Lissitzky's poster with Italian Futurism manifesto Futurist Synthesis of War , published in 20,000 copies in 1914” (Wikipedia)
• The Magnanimous Cuckold by Vsevolod Meyerhold (1922). The Magnanimous Cuckold (Vsevolod Meyerhold) — culture for El Lissitzky “Besides the "utopian and impractical" Wolkenbügel project, he also worked on more ordinary buildings, designing interiors of communal housing blocks, Ginzburg and Milinis' House for the Employees of the Commissariat of Finance; he also w…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Man with a Movie Camera by Dziga Vertov (1929). Man with a Movie Camera (Dziga Vertov) — culture for El Lissitzky (themoviedb.org)
• Monument to the Third International by Vladimir Tatlin (1920). Monument to the Third International (Vladimir Tatlin) — titan for El Lissitzky (wikidata.org)
• Bauhaus Dessau building by Walter Gropius (1926). Bauhaus Dessau building (Walter Gropius) — culture for El Lissitzky “Shatskikh compares UNOVIS with the Bauhaus school, whose founder, Walter Gropius, said that a "joyfully creating commune, for which the Masonic lodges of the Middle Ages are the ideal prototype".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Shtetl: Mayn Khoyever Heym by Issachar Ber Ryback (1923). Shtetl: Mayn Khoyever Heym (Issachar Ber Ryback) — ghost for El Lissitzky “=== Ethnographic expeditions === In 1916, Lissitzky and his artist-colleague Issachar Ber Ryback undertook an ethnographic expedition to Jewish shtetls, possibly funded by S.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Painted ceiling of the Mogilev wooden synagogue by Chaim ben Isaac Segal. Painted ceiling of the Mogilev wooden synagogue (Chaim ben Isaac Segal) — ghost for El Lissitzky

Peers and kindred spirits

• Theo van Doesburg. Lissitzky and van Doesburg jointly presented an artistic proposal. (also via Counter-Composition V) “Together with Schwitters and van Doesburg, Lissitzky presented the idea of an international artistic movement under the guidelines of constructivism” (Wikipedia)
• For the Voice by Vladimir Mayakovsky. Lissitzky designed a collection of Mayakovsky’s poems. “Lissitzky's inventiveness extended to the page margins, which are stepped like an address book to form an index to the poems of Vladimir Mayakovsky, the Russian avant-garde author whose voice resounded throughout the 1920s.” (Cleveland Museum of Art)
• Issachar Ber Ryback. Lissitzky and Ryback undertook an expedition together. (also via Shtetl: Mayn Khoyever Heym) “In 1916, Lissitzky and his artist-colleague Issachar Ber Ryback undertook an ethnographic expedition to Jewish shtetls , possibly funded by S. An-sky 's Jewish Historical Ethnographic Society.” (Wikipedia)
• The Elephant's Child by Rudyard Kipling. Lissitzky illustrated a Yiddish translation of Kipling’s story. “Yiddish translation of Rudyard Kipling 's book The Elephant's Child , or Elfandl , illustrated by Lissitzky, was published in Berlin in 1922” (Wikipedia)
• Yingl Tsingl Khvat by Mani Leib. Lissitzky illustrated Mani Leib’s book. “In 1918 he illustrated Mani Leib 's book Yingl Tsingl Khvat ( The Mischievous Boy ), incorporating typography into the illustrations.” (Wikipedia)
• Vkhutemas. Lissitzky taught at Vkhutemas. “In 1921 he also started to teach at Vkhutemas, but soon left Moscow for Germany; he stayed in Berlin for several years.” (Wikipedia)
• People's Art School. Chagall invited Lissitzky to teach at the school. “In May 1919 Lissitzky returned to Vitebsk when Marc Chagall invited him to teach graphic arts, printing, and architecture at the newly formed People's Art School” (Wikipedia)
• Ilya Ehrenburg. Lissitzky and Ehrenburg started a magazine together. “He started the very short-lived magazine Veshch/Gegenstand/Objet with Russian-Jewish writer Ilya Ehrenburg ,” (Wikipedia)
• On the New System in Art by Kazimir Malevich. Lissitzky designed Malevich’s book. “Lissitzky designed Malevich's book On the New System in Art , that was printed in 1,000 copies – enormous number for the art book.” (Wikipedia)
• Vaysrusishe Folkmayses by Leib Kvitko. Lissitzky worked on Kvitko’s Vaysrusishe Folkmayses. “he worked on Leib Kvitko 's Ukraynishe Folkmayses (Ukrainian folktales) and Vaysrusishe Folkmayses (Belarusian folktales).” (Wikipedia)
• UNOVIS. The group co-founded by Lissitzky reemerged as UNOVIS. “After a brief and stormy dispute and two rounds of renaming, the group reemerged as UNOVIS ( Russian : Утвердители НОВого ИСкусства , Exponents of the New Art) in February.” (Wikipedia)
• Kultur-Lige. Lissitzky co-founded Kultur-Lige’s art section. “In 1918, Lissitzky together with Joseph Chaikov , Issachar Ber Ryback, Mark Epstein and some others founded the art section of the Kultur-Lige movement in Kiev.” (Wikipedia)
• Ukraynishe Folkmayses by Leib Kvitko. Lissitzky worked on Kvitko’s Ukraynishe Folkmayses. “he worked on Leib Kvitko 's Ukraynishe Folkmayses (Ukrainian folktales) and Vaysrusishe Folkmayses (Belarusian folktales).” (Wikipedia)
• INKhUK. Lissitzky became a member of INKhUK. “In 1920 Lissitzky left Vitebsk for Moscow and became member of INKhUK (the Institute of Artistic Culture); on 23 September 1921 he gave a lecture there about his Prouns .” (Wikipedia)
• Kurt Schwitters. Lissitzky worked with Schwitters on an issue of Merz. “Together with Schwitters and van Doesburg, Lissitzky presented the idea of an international artistic movement under the guidelines of constructivism while also working with Kurt Schwitters on the issue Nasci (Nature) of the periodical Me…” (Wikipedia)
• Vilmos Huszár. Lissitzky made a photographic work with Huszár. “The first known photo work by Lissitzky was made together with the Dutch De Stijl artist Vilmos Huszar , published in Merz with a caption "El Huszar and Vilmos Lissitzky".” (Wikipedia)
• El Lissitzky: Life, Letters, Texts by Sophie Lissitzky-Küppers (1967). El Lissitzky: Life, Letters, Texts (Sophie Lissitzky-Küppers) — collaborator for El Lissitzky “According to Sophie Lissitzky-Küppers, in 1945 Pablo Picasso declared that the "painting was not invented for decorating houses, but as a weapon of attack and defence".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Spartakiada poster series by Gustav Klutsis (1928). Spartakiada poster series (Gustav Klutsis) — peer for El Lissitzky “Lissitzky became a head of "38-member 'collective of creators'", with Sergei Senkin and Gustav Klutsis among them (they were not credited for the exhibition).” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Over the Town by Marc Chagall (1918). Over the Town (Marc Chagall) — geography for El Lissitzky “Marc Chagall and Ossip Zadkine were also Pen's students.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Books (Please)! In All Branches of Knowledge by Alexander Rodchenko (1924). Books (Please)! In All Branches of Knowledge (Alexander Rodchenko) — peer for El Lissitzky “Lissitzky was not the only avant-garde artist who worked on the magazine, another one was Alexander Rodchenko.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Malerei, Fotografie, Film by László Moholy-Nagy (1925). Malerei, Fotografie, Film (László Moholy-Nagy) — peer for El Lissitzky “In Berlin Lissitzky also met and befriended other artists, most notably Kurt Schwitters, László Moholy-Nagy, and Theo van Doesburg.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Dlya golosa (For the Voice) by Vladimir Mayakovsky (1923). Dlya golosa (For the Voice) (Vladimir Mayakovsky) — collaborator for El Lissitzky “Post-war Berlin was a cultural center, with an enormous number of Russian émigrés, estimated between 300,000 and 560,000 in 1920–1921, with Vladimir Nabokov, Boris Pasternak, Alexander Blok, Aleksey Tolstoy, Ilya Ehrenburg, Marina Tsveta…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Die Kunstismen / Les Ismes de l'art by Hans Arp (1925). Die Kunstismen / Les Ismes de l'art (Hans Arp) — collaborator for El Lissitzky “He made a portrait of Kurt Schwitters, where he is photographed in front of the title page of Nasci journal issue; Hans Arp is portrayed in front of the Parisian Dada magazine of late 1920.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Illustrations for Pionery by Vera Ermolaeva (1927). Illustrations for Pionery (Vera Ermolaeva) — geography for El Lissitzky
• Suprematist teapot and cups by Nikolai Suetin (1923). Suprematist teapot and cups (Nikolai Suetin) — geography for El Lissitzky

Who El Lissitzky influenced

• Kraftwerk (1961). Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge (El Lissitzky) — culture for Kraftwerk (via Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge, The Man-Machine) “based on the work of the Russian suprematist El Lissitzky – the words "Inspired by El Lissitzky" are noted in the album's inner sleeve” (Wikipedia)
• The Man-Machine by Kraftwerk. The album cover art was inspired by El Lissitzky. “The cover, produced in black, white and red, was inspired by Russian artist El Lissitzky and the Suprematism movement.” (Wikipedia)
• São Paulo Museum of Art. The museum redesign drew on exhibition practices exemplified by Lissitzky's work. “Bo Bardi and fellow Italian immigrant Giancarlo Palanti re-designed the MASP museum space in the Diários Associados building, shifting away from Beaux-Arts-style interiors with paintings backed by curtained walls, towards exhibition desi…” (Wikipedia)
• Zaha Hadid (1950). Proun 19D (El Lissitzky) — titan for Zaha Hadid (via Proun 19D, Vitra Fire Station) (wikidata.org)
• Vitra Fire Station by Zaha Hadid. Vitra Fire Station (Zaha Hadid) — legacy for El Lissitzky (wikidata.org)
• Die neue Typographie by Jan Tschichold (1928). Die neue Typographie (Jan Tschichold) — legacy for El Lissitzky “The work was called "the icon of constructivist movement"; in 1965 designer Jan Tschichold called The Constructor Lissitzky's "finest and most important work".” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Battleship Potemkin by Sergei Eisenstein (1925). Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge (El Lissitzky) — culture for Battleship Potemkin (via Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge) (wikidata.org)