El Lissitsky: The Constructor

El Lissitsky was a Russian paitner, born in 1890. The majority of his career was focused around former Soviet Union Propaganda and he primarily worked in Russia, Germany, and the Netherlands throughout his life. Lissitsky is not well known for one single painting, but instead has gained recognition for his participation in the development of Suprematism (first created by Malevich). Suprematism was a movement created by Kazimir Malevich around 1915 that was based on geometric forms, such as circles, squares, lines, etc. in addition to a limited series of colors. However, Malevich's movement lacked popularity until his former student, Lissitsky, returned to help Malevich. Indeed, Lissitsky's Suprematism ideas lead to developments of Bauhaus, Constructivism, and Graphic designs. In addition to his influence in the movements listed above, Lissitsky developed his own form of Suprematism called "Proun", which used geometric paintings to create a  larger work of art. Lissitsky stated that Prouns was "The station where one changes from painting to architecture." 

Below is Lissitsky's work: The Constructor, self-portrait. I like this painting because it typifies the ideas and goals of El Lissitsky. Rather than use one mechanism, Lissitsky blends graphic design, architecture, and original painting into a single composition. It describes Lissitsky's belief that artists can be used as agents for change.