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Lot Essay
The present lot is an intimate portrait of the artist's five-year-old daughter bathing – a glimpse of Rodchenko's treasured personal life in the early 1930s when he was questioning his role in the evolving, deeply influential artists' community of Moscow. Photographed during a time of personal and political turmoil when notions of identity and authenticity were uprooted, Varvara's tender portrait serves as a grounding reminder of one of life's defining realities – a father's love for his children.
The image itself utilizes one of Rodchenko's iconic compositional principles of photographing diagonally from the 'top down' and thus offering a novel, unique form of perception. Rodchenko's shadow is visible in the lower half, creating a more geometrically dynamic composition. The presence of his shadow not only highlights the camera's role in this particular image but also its pivotal role in the Russian avant-garde. Morning Wash is a quintessential example of the Constructivist master's revered aesthetic ideology and a touching recognition of his steadfast familial devotion.
The image itself utilizes one of Rodchenko's iconic compositional principles of photographing diagonally from the 'top down' and thus offering a novel, unique form of perception. Rodchenko's shadow is visible in the lower half, creating a more geometrically dynamic composition. The presence of his shadow not only highlights the camera's role in this particular image but also its pivotal role in the Russian avant-garde. Morning Wash is a quintessential example of the Constructivist master's revered aesthetic ideology and a touching recognition of his steadfast familial devotion.