Composition No. 17

The Archive-Collection of the Architectural Charitable Fund named after Yakov Chernikhov, Moscow (Russia).

Ink on paper.

The full name the author gave this work is “Architectural fiction-illusion. The revealed aspiration, demonstration of the grandeur of the mass and the transfer of grandeur through circular, curvilinear and rectilinear combinations with their rich colours”. This intricate formulation reflects the attitude of Yakov Chernikhov to his creations, his sense of harmony of spatial elements and an understanding of the mechanisms of their effect on human sensations. The composition is a tower directed upwards, which is very reminiscent of modern skyscrapers. This drawing, like many others of a similar design, clearly demonstrates how far ahead of his time Yakov Chernikhov was because in the 1920s of the 20th century no one could even imagine that such structures would ever appear in the USSR.