5x5=25
Encyclopedia
5x5=25 was a two-part abstract art
exhibition held in September–October 1921 in Moscow
. Five atists presented were Aleksandra Ekster
, Lyubov Popova
, Alexander Rodchenko
, Varvara Stepanova
and Alexander Vesnin
. The artists presented highly abstracted, geometric work that rejected expressionist forms of painting common before the World War I
and pretended to be the "end" or "death" of art.
Rodchenko presented three canvases of a single colour (red, yellow and blue). He saw that his formal research into Constructivism had reached completion at this point, and claimed that he had demonstrated the "end of painting". The exhibition has been considered an anti-painting manifestation.
Lyubov Popova showed canvasses almost bare, puzzling viewers and provoking hail from the critics. Her "flight from painting" influenced Vasily Kandinsky, Mark Rothko
and Ad Reinhardt
. Popova herself did not regard her works as "the end"; on the contrary, she wrote, "all pieces presented here should be regarded as merely preparations for concrete construction".
Alexander Vesnin presented five abstract cubist
canvases that appear pure abstractions but were, in fact, ultimate decomposition of human figures. Vesnin's catalogue cover, in particular, is typical of his book and advertising art of the period: numbers in two "lines" (5x5 and 25) are offset against the baseline, but this irregularity is "disguised" by angled lines dissecting the space.
Catalogues of the exhibition were hand-drawn by the artists and contained original artwork that has never been displayed publicly. At least ten unique albums survived in Russia to date. The 1921 show was reconstructed in 2009 at the Tate Gallery
. Modern critics remain divided over the question whether "death of painting" was a genuine statement of modern art or, indeed, it was a dead end with no future.
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
exhibition held in September–October 1921 in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Five atists presented were Aleksandra Ekster
Aleksandra Ekster
Aleksandra Aleksandrovna Ekster was a Russian-French painter and designer.-Biography:-Childhood:...
, Lyubov Popova
Lyubov Popova
Lyubov Sergeyevna Popova was a Russian avant-garde artist , painter and designer. She was also a rarity in the highly male-dominated world of Soviet art.-Early life:...
, Alexander Rodchenko
Alexander Rodchenko
Aleksander Mikhailovich Rodchenko was a Russian artist, sculptor, photographer and graphic designer. He was one of the founders of constructivism and Russian design; he was married to the artist Varvara Stepanova....
, Varvara Stepanova
Varvara Stepanova
Varvara Fyodorovna Stepanova , was a Russian artist associated with the 'Constructivist' movement.She came from peasant origins but was fortunate enough to get an education at Kazan School of Art, Odessa. There she met her lifelong friend and collaborator Alexander Rodchenko...
and Alexander Vesnin
Alexander Vesnin
Alexander Aleksandrovic Vesnin , together with his brothers Leonid Aleksandrovic Vesnin and Viktor Aleksandrovic Vesnin he was a leading light of Constructivist architecture...
. The artists presented highly abstracted, geometric work that rejected expressionist forms of painting common before the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and pretended to be the "end" or "death" of art.
Rodchenko presented three canvases of a single colour (red, yellow and blue). He saw that his formal research into Constructivism had reached completion at this point, and claimed that he had demonstrated the "end of painting". The exhibition has been considered an anti-painting manifestation.
Lyubov Popova showed canvasses almost bare, puzzling viewers and provoking hail from the critics. Her "flight from painting" influenced Vasily Kandinsky, Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko, born Marcus Rothkowitz , was a Russian-born American painter. He is classified as an abstract expressionist, although he himself rejected this label, and even resisted classification as an "abstract painter".- Childhood :Mark Rothko was born in Dvinsk, Vitebsk Province, Russian...
and Ad Reinhardt
Ad Reinhardt
Adolph Frederick Reinhardt was an Abstract painter active in New York beginning in the 1930s and continuing through the 1960s. He was a member of the American Abstract Artists and was a part of the movement centered around the Betty Parsons Gallery that became known as Abstract Expressionism...
. Popova herself did not regard her works as "the end"; on the contrary, she wrote, "all pieces presented here should be regarded as merely preparations for concrete construction".
Alexander Vesnin presented five abstract cubist
Cubism
Cubism was a 20th century avant-garde art movement, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture...
canvases that appear pure abstractions but were, in fact, ultimate decomposition of human figures. Vesnin's catalogue cover, in particular, is typical of his book and advertising art of the period: numbers in two "lines" (5x5 and 25) are offset against the baseline, but this irregularity is "disguised" by angled lines dissecting the space.
Catalogues of the exhibition were hand-drawn by the artists and contained original artwork that has never been displayed publicly. At least ten unique albums survived in Russia to date. The 1921 show was reconstructed in 2009 at the Tate Gallery
Tate
-Places:*Tate, Georgia, a town in the United States*Tate County, Mississippi, a county in the United States*Táté, the Hungarian name for Totoi village, Sântimbru Commune, Alba County, Romania*Tate, Filipino word for States...
. Modern critics remain divided over the question whether "death of painting" was a genuine statement of modern art or, indeed, it was a dead end with no future.