In the reading about Aleksandr Rodchenko, he envisions the world as technologically advanced. The quote, “Previously- Engineers relaxed with art; Now- Artists relax with technology,” means before engineers relied on art work to define their next move, whereas now Artists rely on software to predict the future. Lissitzky envisions that new century should go above and beyond what has already been made. “Yet in this present day and age we still have no new shape for the book as a body.” This quote has an impatient tone as if he is telling us to not sit on our asses and actually use our brains to work. From the Futuristic Manifesto we see that they have envisioned a more industrial and more modernized approach for the new century. Not to focus on the past but to focus on the future inventions because they felt they were encapsulated by the baroque period. “we want to demolish museums and libraries, fight mortality, feminism and all opportunist and utilitarian cowardice.”
Rodchenko hoped that the process of announcing would continue and that constructions would not stop. Lissitzky says, “the expressive power of every invention in art is an isolated phenomenon and has no evolution,” but this has changed. They want us now to break through limitations and progress what has been done already. So that the idea of it does not fade into the background. The Futurist Manifesto states they want to take the dangerous route of rebellion.
The idea of Lissitzky seems to be that when one thing ends or advances, something else begins to be advanced. This is closely related to Rodchenko’s idea on art evolving us to be able to take on the future. Futurist Manifesto goes against the other readings but not entirely. Compared to Rodchenko, I expressed that the art was evolving us to be able to take on the future. Futurism makes us take on the future entirely in one hit. Thinking beyond what has been already expressed within the art movements. The same thing with Lissitzky, they are willing to start somewhere to end with progress that can be continued. Futurism takes a stronger approach by diving into it head on and don’t look back.
