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Cover for foto-auge/oeil et photo/photo-eye

A work made of letterpress.
© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

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  • A work made of letterpress.

Date:

1929

Artist:

El Lissitzky
Russian, 1890–1941

About this artwork

Through double exposure, Lissitzky blended his likeness with images of drafting tools and graph paper—juxtaposing mechanical instruments with his own more “primitive” tool, the hand. In its day Constructor symbolized a fundamental redefinition of the artist as someone who does not create, but builds, and thereby spurs the transformation of society. Yet Lissitzky seemed to acknowledge that the artist-engineer deploys commercial or industrial technology (including the camera apparatus) over which he can at best have partial control.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

El Lissitzky

Title

Cover for foto-auge/oeil et photo/photo-eye

Place

Russia (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1929

Medium

Letterpress

Dimensions

29.5 × 20.7 cm (11 5/8 × 8 3/16 in.)

Credit Line

Director's Fund

Reference Number

2011.864

Copyright

© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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