Alexander Rodchenko's Photography Revolution at Palazzo Te

A new exhibition at Palazzo Te in Mantova explores Alexander Rodchenko's revolutionary approach to photography. The Russian Constructivist artist, born in Saint Petersburg in 1891 and died in Moscow in 1956, saw photography as a means to capture reality from unconventional angles, using verticality, high and low perspectives, dynamic tilts, and extreme close-ups. His enthusiasm for the medium began while creating photomontages for a book by his friend, the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky. As a photojournalist for Soviet regime magazines, Rodchenko documented Moscow's light bulb factory, the Amo automobile plant, mechanized canteens, the Gudov newspaper's daily work, the innovative radio transmission system, and the Shukhov Tower—a monument to Soviet engineering. He also captured the labor of workers as the true force of change, as well as prisoners in rehabilitation camps building the White Sea–Baltic Canal. The exhibition highlights Rodchenko's dual role as both a propagandist and a romantic artist who, even under Socialist Realism, maintained a utopian and positivist streak. The show includes his early paintings and graphic works alongside his photographs, illustrating his multifaceted career.