Art and Mathematics in the Thought of El Lissitzky: His Relationship to Suprematism and Constructivism

Abstract

Lissitzk’s analogies between art and mathematics pertain to two aspects of modernity—namely, non-objectivity and the negation of perspectival space. According to Lissitzky, non-objectivity in art was analogous to the modern concept of number, and the structure of a work of art corresponded to mathematical concepts such as functions and systems. These theories demonstrate Lissitzk’s divergence from both Suprematism and Russian Constructivism. Furthermore, the analogies elucidate the artisf’s insistence on order, his notion of the art-game and the relationship between intuition and intellect in the creative act. An analysis of pictorial space by analogy with real and imaginary numbers and a comparison of art with set theory help clarify the system of the Proun paintings and the theoretical base of Lissitzky’s exhibition spaces. They also expand our understanding of Lissitzky’s relationship to Male-vich’s Suprematism. In conclusion, the analogies provide an alternative theoretical base to nonobjective art, different from the other ‘isms’ of art in the 1920s.

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