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Vladimir Tatlin

Nicola Lillie
Apr 26, 2015
3 min read

"In the squares and in the streets we are placing our work convinced that art must not remain a sanctuary for the idle, a consolation for the weary, and a justification for the lazy. Art should attend us everywhere that life flows and acts." - Vladimir Tatlin

Vladimir Tatlin. A bit of a mouthful; but at least its a delicious one. Also a tad belated...

A while ago, someone at my church gave me a newspaper clipping of this thing she'd seen and thought I'd like. With thanks for the effort and maybe a little skeptism, I turned the page over. My heart skipped a beat.

This moment meant two things:

a) I had a really interesting artist, from a different source.

b) I have a style. Distinctive enough for someone who only picks up facebook images to know what I'd like.

Wowser.

Anywho; Vladimir's work 'Corner counter relief' Was the image in the newspaper and though its an architectural installation-come-sculpture, I picture it scaled down and wearable, as a brooch of course...

So this had several effects on my work; this image translated the way I saw my existing brooches. Imagine the brooches as the centre part, with tensioned lines coming off or through the brooch, and maybe even pinning to a new part of the garmet? And could that be an actual fastening- don't some tratitional jackets not have buttons, just chains? Cogs are working at this point.

And so, back in the workshop, the linear element of my work became an explored element once more. I havent achieved enough tension yet, but I am thinking of creating essentially two brooches which are connected, and see how that goes. However, I took part in an exhibition in Hereford this last fornight; and I can see a real similarity of the 'moods' recieved. I think, anyway! What do you think? This one is probably the closest relationally to my work, but regardless, I adore the architectural strength in his sculptures.

It feels good to know that there are other people who had similar visual interests, and whilst our concepts are focusing in different areas, some sentiments reflect and rebound nicely.

"We declare our distrust of the eye, and place our sensual impressions under control." - Vladimir Tatlin

...And at which point does heart engagement and emotional attachment consume the regulation? Fascinating.

Here's some more of Vladimir's work, and a little more about him: (thank you theartstory-check this site out!)

"Vladimir Tatlin was central to the birth of Russian Constructivism. Often described as a "laboratory Constructivist," he took lessons learned from Pablo Picasso's Cubist reliefs and Russian Futurism, and began creating objects that sometimes seem poised between sculpture and architecture. Initially trained as an icon painter, he soon abandoned the traditionally pictorial concerns of painting and instead concentrated on the possibilities inherent in the materials he used - often metal, glass, and wood. He wanted above all to bend art to modern purposes and, ultimately, to tasks suited to the goals of Russia's Communist revolution. He is remembered most for his Monument to the Third International (1919-20). A design for the Communist International headquarters, it was realized as a model but never built. It crystallized his desire to bring about a synthesis of art and technology, and has remained a touchstone of that utopian goal for generations of artists since. The arc of his career has come to define the spirit of avant-gardism in the twentieth century, the attempt to bring art to the service of everyday life."