When a Tree Isn't Just a Tree

Alexander Rodchenko's unlikely piece of revolutionary art

“Pine Trees, Pushkino”, 1927. Alexander Rodchenko. Gelatin silver print.

It’s a cliche by now. How many of us have pointed our cameras or phones skyward in forest canopies to capture an image like this?

But place yourself in a wooded hike in 1927. In Alexander Rodchenko’s case, it was in Russia. But it could be in Canada or Brazil. You just need one tal…