Visit to 'A Soviet Design For Life: The Catherine Cooke Collection of 20th-Century Russian Architecture and Design' at Cambridge University Library, Cambridge – 23.02.13
Catherine Cooke (1942-2004) was a lecturer at Cambridge University, and also a world authority in Soviet art and design. Over her lifetime she collected thousands of objects related to the subject, and it is a selection of these that make up the Soviet Design For Life exhibition that is currently on show at Cambridge University Library.
The exhibition successfully links aspects of early twentieth century Russian life to the art and design of the time. There are posters, books, architectural plans and postcards, representing such areas as sport, education and religion.
The topic of politics is approached sensitively and without bias. There is a concise description of the state of politics in Russia in the early twentieth century, alongside original propaganda leaflets that are in the heavy black and red Soviet style. A particularly interesting feature in the politics display is the inclusion of designs for imposing buildings that were intended to make Russian cities look more powerful. Many of these were never built, but as can be assumed by the plans on show, Moscow and St. Petersburg would look very different today if they were. There is a particular focus on the ambitious Tatlin’s Tower, a proposed spiralling steel monument to The Third International Communist Organisation. Cooke amassed many items associated with the monument, and visitors to A Soviet Design For Life are able to see several of these.
It is unlikely that people would have realised that there is such a strong connection between art and daily life, but the exhibition makes this link clear. There are works on display by such renowned Russian artists as Alexander Rodchenko (http://aleksandrodchenko.wordpress.com/) and Kazimar Malevich (http://www.kazimir-malevich.org/), painter of such futurist pieces as White on White and Black Square.
The popular show runs until 6 April 2013. Visit the website for more information on planning a visit - http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/exhibitions/Cooke/.
Additional information about Catherine Cooke and her work can be found in her obituary in The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2004/mar/11/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries).
The exhibition successfully links aspects of early twentieth century Russian life to the art and design of the time. There are posters, books, architectural plans and postcards, representing such areas as sport, education and religion.
The topic of politics is approached sensitively and without bias. There is a concise description of the state of politics in Russia in the early twentieth century, alongside original propaganda leaflets that are in the heavy black and red Soviet style. A particularly interesting feature in the politics display is the inclusion of designs for imposing buildings that were intended to make Russian cities look more powerful. Many of these were never built, but as can be assumed by the plans on show, Moscow and St. Petersburg would look very different today if they were. There is a particular focus on the ambitious Tatlin’s Tower, a proposed spiralling steel monument to The Third International Communist Organisation. Cooke amassed many items associated with the monument, and visitors to A Soviet Design For Life are able to see several of these.
It is unlikely that people would have realised that there is such a strong connection between art and daily life, but the exhibition makes this link clear. There are works on display by such renowned Russian artists as Alexander Rodchenko (http://aleksandrodchenko.wordpress.com/) and Kazimar Malevich (http://www.kazimir-malevich.org/), painter of such futurist pieces as White on White and Black Square.
The popular show runs until 6 April 2013. Visit the website for more information on planning a visit - http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/exhibitions/Cooke/.
Additional information about Catherine Cooke and her work can be found in her obituary in The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2004/mar/11/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries).