Van twee kwadraten / About two squares by El Lissitzky, 1922 [Dutch Facsimile]

Van twee kwadraten (About two squares) by El Lissitzky, 1922. Facsimile reprint from 1984 by Gerards & Schreurs, Maastricht, Netherlands. Oblong, 8.5 x 10 with French folded illustrated card covers, 8 single-sided leaves and black free endpapers. Printed in black and white and red with Dutch text. Originally design by El Lissitzky (1890–1942).

This 1984 edition Suprematisch worden van twee kwadraten in 6 konstrukties (Suprematist tale about two squares in 6 constructions) has been reproduced from De Stijl (vol. 5, no. 10/11), the Dutch journal edited by Theo van Doesburg and published in The Hague in 1922. The verso of the front original wrapper designed by van Doesburg (see photo).

Includes an introduction about El Lissitzky and a translation of the picture book text in German, English and French on the inside front cover. Lissitzky moved to Berlin in 1922 where he met Kurt Schwitters and Theo van Doesburg, which resulted in his Dutch version of this educational children’s book. El Lissitzky said: “I have set out to formulate an elementary idea, using elementary means, so that children may find it a stimulus to active play and grown-ups enjoy it as something to look at.”

"About Two Squares is a children’s book about a black square and a red square that fly to earth from afar. For Lissitzky they symbolized the superiority of the new Soviet order (the red square) over the old (the black square). The artist’s abstract style was profoundly influenced by Kazimir Malevich's Suprematism, but after 1921 he aligned himself with Russian Constructivist principles and sought to move Suprematism’s abstract language into the service of the new social and political order." — MoMA

A very good reprint with toning and light wear to the surface and along the edges and corners of the white glossy covers. Interior pages are bright and fresh. An excellent teaching aid and resource!