The artwork titled “Illustration to ‘For the voice’ by Vladimir Mayakovsky,” created by artist El Lissitzky in 1920 in Moscow, Russian Federation, is a significant piece within the Constructivism movement. This illustration belongs to a series named “For the voice” and is presented in the genre of illustration, intended to accompany Mayakovsky’s poem with a stark, typographic design.
The artwork features an innovative use of typography and layout, characteristic of Constructivist principles. On the left page, a striking composition of letters and punctuation marks in black and red segments the white background, creating a bold visual impact. Blocks of red and black question marks are arranged in a grid, encompassing the large letters “А” and “В-ы!” in Cyrillic script. On the right page, the text “а ВЫ могли бы?” is prominently displayed in a combination of black and red, with an oversized question mark catching the viewer’s attention. Below this, a passage of text in Russian offers a poetic content, rendered in a clean, organized format. The simplicity and efficiency of Lissitzky’s design emphasize the Constructivist ethos of functional aesthetics and the seamless integration of form and purpose.
