Ursus Rare Books has issued a catalogue of Modern Graphic Design. Art, Architecture, Infographics, & Propaganda. One of these words is not like the others. There are many art and design works, often touching on movements from the early twentieth century – avant-garde schools such as surrealism, cubism, constructivism. But, propaganda is not an art form, at least not in the same sense, only in the sense that successful lying is an art. However, what we see is how artists living under tyrannical regimes, from the Soviet Union and Fascist Italy, had to conform to political reality when creating their art. The result is they promote the proper party line, necessary to publish, maybe even to survive, but in an artistic way. Their art lives on even if the message does not. Here are a few selections from this latest Ursus catalogue.
We begin with an item that comes to us from Japan. The artist is Kamisaka Sekka, the book, published in 1904, Cho Senshu (one thousand butterflies). These are not ordinary butterflies, hatched from cocoons. They were hatched from Sekka's imagination. Some look much like real butterflies, with realistic shapes and markings, while others' resemblance is limited to a roughly similar shape. Sekka was not restrained by science, letting his butterflies take a flight of fantasy. They float over the page, or some look ready to fly away. The book comes in two volumes, accordion-style, containing 25 double-page plates of colored woodcuts. Item 5. Priced at $6,500.
Next we have an alphabet book, ABCD, by André Blandin. It features cubist figures to depict the words represented by the letters. Blandin was an artist and exhibition organizer who asked his friend Apollinaire to bring some cubists to an exhibition in Brussels. Ursus notes that this interesting book has been overshadowed by another cubist alphabet book issued the same year, the Cubies' ABC. That book is a biting satire of the new art form introduced at the New York Armory Show of that year, and cubism in particular. Its authors were less impressed than Blandin. Item 1. $4,750.
This is another ABC book, Abeceda, but this one is even more unusual. I'm not sure that it was meant for the kids to learn the alphabet as some of the letters displayed aren't that easy to recognize. It is the work of Czech avant-garde artist Vitezslav Nezval, though with help from photographer Karel Paspa and dancer Milca Mayerova. It was published in 1926. Mayerova poses, her body forming, sort of, the letters of the alphabet. Ursus informs us that it is “one of the most celebrated of all photobooks.” Item 21. $7,500.
This is an example of avant-garde modern graphic design created under difficult circumstances. The artist was El Lissitzky, an accomplished artist who had the misfortune to live in the Soviet Union and do much of his work in the Stalin era. I don't know whether he found himself constrained to follow the party line or thrived on it, but he became an artistic voice of Soviet propaganda. Item 48 is SSSR Stroit Sotzializm (USSR builds socialism). It's a photobook, published in 1933, and Ursus tells us it was his first propaganda album. He used photographs by unknown photographers to create artistic montages of dramatic and impressive scenes, a veritable paean to the wonders of the soviet system. The endpapers top it off with writing the motto “workers of the world unite” in 32 languages. It's not surprising that Lissitzky managed to die of natural causes in 1941, unlike so many who died of unnatural causes under Stalin. This book had a large print run, 25,000 copies, but there appear to have been very few survivals as it is quite scarce today. $12,500.
If that seems like a waste of artistic talent, this one is even better. The title is L'novodsto v SSSR (flax growing in the USSR). It comes with some really nice images. Ursus explains, “A surreal example of Soviet book making, the subject matter of which is pure propaganda and sleep inducing, accompanied by the most wonderful illustrations, worthy of a livre de peintre.” Published in 1940. Item 77. $3,500.
Or taking it a step even further is Kolbasy I myasokopchenosti (sausages and smoked meats), published in 1936-1937. It came in three volumes – 1. Liverwurst and Blood Sausages, 2. Smoked Sausages, and 3. Brawns and Aspics. Who knew sausages could be so beautiful and artistic? Ursus describes this as “homages to the sausage,” adding, “While they do not have the avant-garde sensibility of Telingater's ball bearing catalogue or Piet Zwart's wire catalogue, these odes to the sausage can certainly lay claim to a place in Surrealist literature.” Item 60. $3,500.
This item is a proposal for post-war reconstruction of East London, which had suffered extensive damages from the bombing. The title is Planning Your Neighborhood for Home, for Work, and for Play, published in 1944. It was written by architect Erno Goldfinger and his wife Ursula Blackwell. Goldfinger believed the most desirable way to build was to keep the services people desired close to their homes. He would become known for designing large tower housing which enabled him to achieve that goal. If Erno Goldfinger's name sounds familiar, it's because his name (though not his character) was the inspiration for the name Auric Goldfinger, the villainous lead character in Ian Fleming's book and movie Goldfinger. Apparently, Fleming got it from a conversation with Erno's cousin. Erno, reportedly, was not a humorous man, not amused, and Fleming was not a fan of his work. Goldfinger threatened to sue but settled for little out of court. Item 86. $4,250.
Ursus Rare Books may be reached at 212-772-8787 or pkraus@ursusbooks.com. Their website is www.ursusbooks.com.
