Constructivism

Constructivism
Beat the Whites with the Red Wedges, by El Lissitzky, 1919-1920, lithographic poster
Decade of origin	1910s
Creator/s	Vladimir Tatlin Alexander Rodchenko
Related aesthetics	Aeropittura Art Academia Avant-garde Bauhaus De Stijl Purism Modernism Socialist Realism Sovietwave Suprematism Zenitism

Constructivism is an art movement or style in which assorted mechanical objects are combined into abstract mobile structural forms. The movement originated in Russia in the 1920s and has influenced many aspects of modern architecture and design.

Abstract and austere, constructivist art aimed to reflect modern industrial society and urban space. The movement rejected decorative stylization in favor of the industrial assemblage of materials. Constructivists were in favour of art for propaganda and social purposes, and were associated with Soviet socialism, the Bolsheviks and the Russian avant-garde.

Origins and influences

It was an artistic and architectural philosophy that originated in Russia beginning in 1915 by Vladimir Tatlin and Alexander Rodchenko. Abstract and austere, constructivist art aimed to reflect modern industrial society and urban space. The movement rejected aesthetic stylization in favor of the industrial assemblage of materials. Constructivists were in favour of art for practical and social purposes, and were associated with Soviet socialism and the Russian avant-garde. Constructivist architecture and art had a great effect on modern art movements of the 20th century, influencing major trends such as the Bauhaus and De Stijl movements. Its influence was widespread, with major effects upon architecture, sculpture, graphic design, industrial design, theatre, film, dance, fashion and, to some extent, music.

The Aesthetic in the USSR generally declined under the leadership of Joseph Stalin, who advocated for and imposed Socialist Realism and more classically inspired aesthetics for the USSR to uphold, believing they would better appeal to the Proletariat as opposed to the Constructivist genre thought to appeal only to Intelligentsia.

If you wish to find out more about this, visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructivism_(art)

Gallery

Head No. 2, by Naum Gabo, 1916, enlarged version from 1964, steel

Model for the Monument to the Third International, by Vladimir Tatlin, 1919, Contemporary photo of wood and metal model

Interrelation of Volumes, by Georges Vantongerloo, 1919, sandstone

Kinetic Construction (Standing Wave), by Naum Gabo, 1919–20, replica from 1985, metal, wood and electric motor

Coffee cup and saucer, designed by Wassily Kandinsky and produced by the Saint Petersburg State Porcelain Factory, 1921, porcelain painted in underglaze

Dr Mabuso film poster, by Kasimir Malevich, 1922, ink on paper

Writing set, designed by Nicolai Mikhailovich Suetin and produced by the Saint Petersburg State Porcelain Factory, circa 1922-1923, porcelain, glazed and on-glaze painting

Pravda Building design, Moscow, Russia, by Alexander Vesnin, 1923, ink on paper

Musical New Land Cover, by Lyubov Popova, 1924, ink on paper

Poster for Giz state publishers, by Varvara Stepanova, 1925, ink on paper

Poster for Leningrad State Publishers, by Alexander Rodchenko, 1925, ink on paper

Lenin Institute, Moscow, by Ivan Leonidov, 1927

Rusakov Club, Moscow, by Konstantin Melnikov, 1927-1928

Man With A Movie Camera, by Georgi Augustovich Sternberg, 1929, ink on paper

Book cover design, by Alexander Rodchenko, 1929, ink on paper

Ile de France, by Jean Helion, 1935, oil on canvas

1935 (white relief), by Ben Nicholson, 1935, painted wood

Ball, Plane and Hole, by Barbara Hepworth, 1936, teak on oak base

June 1937, by Ben Nicholson, 1937, oil on canvas

Antennae with Red and Blue Dots, by Alexander Calder, c.1953, aluminium and steel wire