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From Proun

El Lissitzky

Artwork Details

From Proun
1923
El Lissitzky
lithograph on paper
23 1/2 in x 19 3/16 in (59.7 cm x 48.7 cm);28 1/16 in x 22 1/16 in (71.28 cm x 56.04 cm);23 1/2 in x 19 3/16 in (59.7 cm x 48.7 cm)
The Paul Leroy Grigaut Memorial Collection
1969/2.53

Description

Subject Matter:

"Proun" is a word that El Lissitzky invented in 1919. He kept the exact definition of it to himself. Lissitzky produced a series of paintings and lithographs throughout the 1920s with "proun" in the title. They resemble this in their clear, perspectival, geometric shapes. Some scholars argue that the word is meant to encompass elements of paintings, architecture, and graphic work and combine all of them into one style while others believe it is an acronym for "project for the affirmation of the new" in Russian. 

Physical Description:

This abstract composition of geometric shapes shows a plane and an inverted triangle above with a pyramidal rod hanging down from the plane. At the bottom, two inverted triangles with a concave top edge apoint to the bottom of the print. 

Usage Rights:

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