Dlya Golosa, 1923
Color lithographs; letterpress; bound volumeexpand_more
Gift of funds from the Print and Drawing Council and the William Hood Dunwoody Fundexpand_more B.90.2
Not on Viewexpand_more
In 1923, El Lissitzky provided illustrations and typeface designs for Vladimir Mayakovsky’s For the Voice—a selection of thirteen of his most frequently quoted poems ranging thematically from leftist political agitation to witty observations on urban life. Mayakovsky intended the poems in this volume to be read aloud. Lissitzky described his design of the book: “To make it easier for the reader to find any particular poem, I use an alphabetical (thumb-indexed) index. The book is created with the resources of the compositor’s type case alone. The possibilities of two-color printing (with overlapping and cross-hatching) have been fully exploited: my pages stand in much the same relation to the poems as an accompanying piano to a violin.”
Here, the artist achieved all of his typographical goals: produced mechanically, according to a functionalist rationale, the book’s design, layout, and illustration all unite to reinforce the emotional and intellectual power of Mayakovsky’s texts.
Details
- Title
- Dlya Golosa
- Artist Life
- 1890–1941
- Role
- Illustrator
- Accession Number
- B.90.2
- Catalogue Raisonne
- From Manet to Hockney 68; Johnson 41
- Curator Approved
This record is from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator, so may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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