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book (design) story #500

adolf behne:
von kunst zur gestaltung

arbeiterjugend-verlag, berlin, 1925
size: 21 x 14 cm
designer: oskar fischer (jacket)

story #500 (i can hardly believe it!) is dedicated to a remarkable book by one of the most influential theoreticians of modernist culture in 1920s' germany: from art to design by socialist writer and professor adolf behne (1885-1948). jan tschichold listed this book in the bibliography of his seminal "neue typographie" (see story 29) and marked it with a fat dot, meaning "especially recommended".

the stunning constructivist jacket was designed by german painter and graphic designer oskar fischer (1892-1955). fischer was a member of the communist party and later active in the antifascist resistance movement.

the title page shows modernist elements such as asymmetric composition and rules while the typeface – rudolf koch's "koch antiqua" – is still rather in the german werkbund's older "arts and crafts" vein.

behne's essay tries to explain art from a socio-political viewpoint: in his eyes constructivism is the art of the socialist revolution. paul renner quoted in his "mechanisierte grafik" (see story 43) from page 63 (above) – with a very critical comment!

the experimental photomontages ...

... and colour examples were also designed by oskar fischer.

below paintings by piet mondrian (in colour), futurists gino severini and umberto boccioni, ...

... as well as kurt schwitters and again oskar fischer.