About Konstantin Melnikov
Konstantin Stepanovich Melnikov was a Russian architect and painter. His architectural work, compressed into a single decade (1923–33), placed Melnikov on the front end of 1920s avant-garde architecture. Although associated with the Constructivists, Melnikov was an independent artist, not bound by the rules of a particular style or artistic group. In the 1930s, Melnikov refused to conform with the rising Stalinist architecture, withdrew from practice and worked as a portraitist and teacher until the end of his life. During World War I and the first years after Russian Revolution of 1917, Melnikov worked within the Neoclassical tradition. Melnikov's first materialized works were short-lived, temporary buildings. Codenamed Atom, Melnikov's design employed the sawtooth arrangement of units that became his trademark in later works.
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