Made in 1920-1922, Proun 19D is one of the greatest milestones of the Soviet avant-garde artist El Lissitzky. The painting forms part of the well-known series of Proun (meaning “project for the affirmation of the new”), previously characterized by Lissitzky as a bridge between two-dimensional painting and three-dimensional architecture.
With this work, Lissitzky extends the flat Suprematist geometry of Kazimir Malevich by introducing axonometric projection, depth of space, and texture. Made of oil paint, gesso, collage, and metallic paint on plywood, the painting features a complicated system of interrelated geometric surfaces, diagonal lines, and hovering items against an uncolored background. The dark diagonal line crossing the canvas creates a dynamic visual vector that stabilizes the complex structure consisting of rectangles, transparent forms, and dull colors.
Unlike classical Renaissance painters, Lissitzky does not grant the observer with a single vanishing point. The planes seem to be moving away from the viewer and coming to him at the same time. This confusion encourages the viewer to become an activist while perceiving the art piece.
Proun 19D signifies an important historic event of the time when fine art has united with technology and industrial design. Through thinking of the canvas, in contrast to the classical window, as a spatial scheme, Lissitzky established another phase of modern abstraction and laid down some basic principles that served for the building of modern architecture, type design, and fashion design in the 20th century.
When I engage with El Lissitzky’s Proun 19D, I am immediately struck by how masterfully it functions as a visual bridge between flat, two-dimensional painting and three-dimensional architecture. As part of his seminal Proun series, this particular artwork expands Kazimir Malevich’s flat Suprematist geometry by introducing axonometric projection, spatial depth, and a rich tactile texture built from oil, gesso, collage, and metallic paint on plywood.
