Cocosse | Journal: Portraits | Photos by Alexander Rodchenko, 1924

Alexander Rodchenko, Portrait au flacon, 1930 Aleksandr Rodchenko, Portrait of My Daughter, 1935

‘We don’t see, what we observe. We don’t see, what we look at. We don’t see the extraordinary

perspectives and the shortenings of objects. We, who have been taught to see ordinary and

educated, we need to rediscover the world of visibility. We need to revolutionise our optical

cognition. We need to tear off the veil in front of our eyes, which is called from the navel’.’

Alexander Rodchenko, 18th of August in 1928 (eight months after Lenin’s death)

Alexander Rodchenko, The writer Elsa Triolet (sister of Lily Brik), 1924 Alexander Rodchenko, Portrait of Vladimir Mayakovsky, 1924

Mayakovsky arrived in the late afternoon, when there was little light, which is why the shot was taken outdoors. Kotik the dog, who loved ice-cream, had eaten everything that Mayakovsky had bought, which is why the poet is holding him in his arms like a baby. Mayakovsky easily identified with dogs. His nickname was "Shchen" ("little dog"), which is how he signed letters and telegrams'

(from Memoirs of Lili Brik, in G. Shudakov et al., Pioneers of Soviet Photography, London: Thames and Hudson, 1983)

< Alexander Rodchenko, Vladimir Mayakovsky with Scottie, 1924