Varvara Stepanova: Incomplete Design History Podcast

Abstract

Varvara Stepanova was a leader of the constructivist movement and co-author of the constructivist manifesto. Described as “a frenzied artist,” she designed books, magazines, posters, advertisements, as well as textiles, clothing, and costumes. On top of that, she was an author and poet. Her design style and aesthetic was avant garde, modern, and often characterized by simplicity and geometric forms and patterns, but Varvara was never content with stasis. She constantly evolved her style and worked to develop new concepts and ideas. As a co-founder of the Constructivist movement, her work typifies the aesthetic and philosophies of Constructivism. While Varavara worked on many of her own projects, she also did many together with her husband, Alexander Rodchenko, another well-known Constructivist designer. Her work often gets linked to Rodchenko’s, and it’s Rodchenko who gets mentioned in histories of graphic design and credit for designs that should be attributed to Stepanova as well. At a time when women were largely still expected to be no more than wives and mothers, Stepanova was a woman who made an unmistakable mark on art and design.