Der Künstler-Ingenieur. German language edition (no. 35) from the kleine Bücherei für Hand und Kopf. Alexander Rodchenko, Russian constructivist and productivist, most famous for his photo montages, experimented with elements of design. This is a collection of texts in which he appears as Artist-Engineer, investigating matters of aesthetics, all the while asking himself “What is the use?”. In 1921 he declared the death of painting, having reduced the image to monochromes. At the centre of the avant garde, he collaborated with Tatlin and Dziga Vertov, worked for Mayakovsky and combined talents with his wife, Varvara Stepanova. A pioneer in graphic design, he employed photography and typography in creating a new imagery. Apart from his artistic endeavours he was active for the Soviet authorities as organizer of museums, agitation and propaganda, organizer and teacher at the new art schools. His work involves posters, bookcovers, magazines, commercials, decors and costumes for theatre.