"A Yankee in Petrograd" Vol. 6 Pro and Con by Jim Dollar (Marietta Saginyan)
Aleksandr Rodchenko
Russian, 1891–1956
1924
A 1924 gravure cover by Aleksandr Rodchenko that uses photomontage, bold typography, and stark orange-and-black blocks to stage a visual argument about trade—provoking debate rather than merely illustrating it.
What strikes you is the cinematic clash of sharp diagonals and a two-color palette that slices photographic crowds, a crouched, forward-leaning figure and a prowling black cat into a jagged, collage-like composition where text and image argue with equal force.
A landmark of Constructivist graphic design, it helped codify photomontage and aggressive typography as tools for mass communication and political persuasion in modern visual culture.
Medium
Gravure
Dimensions
7 x 5" (17.9 x 12.7 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Kenneth Walker Fund
Accession
407.1991.6
Palette
Exhibitions
