What I posted below is a link to a show the Getty did almost a year ago. It was on the book art of the early Russian Avant-Garde which experimented with words - they created new words (which are roughly translated on the site) and also how words are drawn into the image. They were known as Zaum (za=beyond / um=mind) or transrational poets, there is a part of the time line that was handed out in class that refers to them, so there's some context to look for. After the Revolution of 1917, there was a perceived need to establish aesthetics for a Soviet mind and world distinct from previous eras'. By finding new ways to construct and use language, artists hoped to break through the pre-established thought patterns and culture of the past. So from this we got futurism and the whole Soviet culture and aesthetic which I think we all recognize more or less. At the beginning of the Soviet Union, all this art was experimental and not yet totally undermined for the purposes of government propaganda. It was at this point in time that these art books were made. The great thing about this site is that it gives you a tour of the books and there is even the option of listening to the text out loud so the concept of what they were getting at with these poetics is all the more illuminated. Any way, there is narrative, pictures and poetry - you know, fun stuff. I would recommend taking some time to browse.
http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/tango_with_cows/
~Alfred
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