The artwork in question is a photograph by Alexander Rodchenko titled “Monument to Pushkin.” The photo was taken in 1930 in Moscow, Russian Federation. Rodchenko was an artist associated with the Constructivist movement, and the medium of this work is photography. Constructivism was an art movement that emerged in Russia in the early 20th century, known for its use of industrial materials and geometric forms, often with an emphasis on modernity and the collective.
In this photograph, we see a stark contrast with subjects at varying distances. In the foreground, a streetlamp commands attention with its geometric lantern shapes, accentuated by the angle of the shot. Behind it stands the statue of Pushkin, captured as a dark silhouette. The background is subdued, shrouded in a light mist or fog, which creates a sense of depth and reinforces the prominence of the lamp and the monument in the composition. The lighting and composition lend an atmospheric quality to the image, focusing on form and structure over detail—an approach consistent with Constructivist ideals. The perspective used by Rodchenko plays with spatial relationships, layering elements of the cityscape in a way that may alter our usual interpretations of their importance or prominence.
