El Lissitzky
Patricia Railing
MORE ABOUT 2 SQUARES

Facsimile (1922)
Translation on transparent overleaf by Christiana Bryan
2 volumes in a slip case
52 pp. Many mono illus.
ISBN 0 946311 02 1  1991
In the USA: The MIT Press (out of print)

Out of print

REVIEWS

Reviewed by Daniel H. Hodge (University of Kentucky) in Art Documentation, Summer 1992: “Lissitzky’s work in About 2 Squares reveals groundbreaking graphic design that became widely influential in European art publications of the 1920s and 1930s. The impact of Lissitzky’s work can be seen in much of the graphic design of the period and in many artists’ books of today. Railing’s essay, contained in the accompanying volume, provides a thorough account of the underpinnings of Lissitzky’s vision…. Careful to include in her discussion the vital aspect of word sounds to the full intent of Lissitzky’s About 2 Squares, Railing disseminates the paintings with convincing parallels between the contents of the pages and suprematist texts…. Through the success of her discussion, Railing honors Lissitzky’s intentions for bringing his work to life in the first place: “…it is not enough to stare at it with one’s own eyes; one’s whole head must be turned in a different direction.”’

Other reviews:

Margaret B. Betz (Ohio State University), Slavic and East European Journal, No. 2, 1993; David Geary, The Structurist (University of Saskatchewan), No. 31/32, 1991/92;
Peter Stupples, New Zealand Slavonic Journal, Oct 1992; Slavonic and East European Review (University of London), Oct 1991; et al.