Under the Banner of Life-Building (An Attempt to Understand the Art of Today)*

Authors: Chuzhak, N.F.; Lodder, Christina

Source: Art In Translation, Volume 1, Number 1, March 2009 , pp. 119-151(33)

Publisher: Berg Publishers

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Abstract:

Nikolai Chuzhak's article, first published in 1923 in the Russian avant-garde journal Lef, is a plea for a production art based on Marxist dialectics and a rejection of bourgeois aesthetics. The text traces the development of ideas of production art, providing a critique of the avant-garde's attempts to link aesthetic ideals with the communist ideology of the Bolshevik Party. Chuzhak's own viewpoint is at odds with the vague radicalism of Lef. His criticism of his fellow editor in Lef, Osip Brik, is an indication of tensions within the Lef camp. Chuzhak also draws attention to the provincial Creation group and its contributions to discussions about Marxism and art.

Keywords: Russia; avant-garde; Marxism; aesthetics; Futurism; Constructivism; Productivism

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.2752/175613109787307636

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