Constructivism

Constructivism(1917)

Figure 1: V.Tatlin, Corner Counter-Relief, 1914, Constructed materials.

(The Art Story, 2015)

      ·       Last and most influenced modern movement to flourish in Russia in the 20^th Century.

·       It evolved when the Bolsheviks came to power in 1917.

·       It borrowed ideas from Cubism, Suprematism and Futurism which abolished the traditional artists’ ways of using composition and replace it with construction.

·        Used modern materials (this would yield ideas that influenced the mass production ending modern, communist society).

(The Art Story, 2015)

·       Avant-garde artists adapted a functionalist, ant historical approach which was hand drawn and organic ornamental forms get replaced by san serif faces, geometric designs and photographic imagery.

(The Museum of Modern Art, 2017)

Figure 2: El Lissitzky: Beat the whites with the red wedges, 1919

(www.wikiart.org, 2017)

The red wedge symbolised the revolutionaries who were penetrating the anti-communists white army. This was Lissitsky’s propagandistic art.

·       Constructivism grew side to side with Suprematism.

·       Suprematism was concerned with form and abstraction often seeming to be tangled with Mysticism.

·       Constructivism embraced the new social and cultural developments that grew out of WW1 and the October revolution of 1917. It used real materials in real space(used art as a tool).

During the Russian Constructivism period, the movement involved architecture, graphics, fashion design, ceramics and typography.

·       Constructivism had Utopian ideals: they hoped for a revolution in both arts and politics.

·       They offered their service to the Bolsheviks revolution with the aim of social change.

·       Motivated by the urge to transform the environment.

·       Their aim was to rebuild society while looking at the consequences, challenges, possibilities etc. of industrialisation.

·       Their aim of technology was using primary tools in the social transformation process.

(The Art Story, 2015)

Constructivism                            VS                 Suprematism

Geometric abstraction from the Cubists, explanation of abstraction, reducing form to basic geometric shapes/components. Rejecting linear perspective of the use of geometric forms to show geometric abstraction. These are placed in non-illusionistic space often combined into abstract components.

Geometric abstraction and flat-hard edges forms were a sign of contemporary sensibility. Constructivists dreamt of making an art for the people, the idea was to discard the idea of “art for artist's sake “and place all artistic practice in service of the revolution.

(Zythepsary.com, 2017)

Characteristics

The form of using clean lines, and hard edges forms and uncluttered compositions.

Figure 3: El Lissitzky, Cover for the catalogue for Soviet Pavilion of 1928, Catalogue.

(Pinterest, 2017)

Designers experimented with everything from dynamic, playful, simplistic to complex designs.

·       Often used simple, basic colour combinations, such as red, white and black for maximum impact and contrast. Red was used during that time because the Russians believed the colour was to show more than violence or bloodshed.

·       The use of Photomontage in graphic design.

·       Constructivist artists explained how materials behaved.

·       The form an artwork would take would be dictated by its materials.

·       Made art by constructing base materials into something very different and beautiful.

Constructivism: Propaganda

Propaganda posters revolutionised by Russian designers. Appeared at a time when colour and photography was introduced in mass printed posters. Early designers resulted in forms of composition, combined with diagonal, dynamic juxtapositions and experimentation with photomontage processes.

(being in orbit, 2017)

Constructivism: Social

Socialism: the aims of such a system were to provide equal benefits and services to everyone. It aims to avoid the totalitarian implications.

All art was to pertain in social Realism, a visual communication used in the interest of social or political reform.

El Lizzitsky(Russian Avant-garde artist)

·       Following Malevich in Suprematism, Lizzitsky used basic shapes to make a strong political statement.

·       He produced two-dimensional suprematist paintings, sought to combine 3D space with transitional abstract 2D imagery.

·       He spanned the media of graphic design, typography, photography, photomontage, book design and architectural design.

·       Influenced by the De Stijl and the Bauhaus, he believed that art and life should be combined.

·       A poster by Lizzitsky could make a strong statement of political change.

(Sarabianov, 2017)

Figure 4: El Lizzitsky, R, Russische Ausstellung,1929, Poster.

(The Museum of Modern Art, 2017)

Man and woman fused in the middle to show equality of the sexes and to show that men and women share the same sight of knowledge.

He utilised a pared down palette of primary colours, black and white text and basic forms, to make powerful political statements and used architecture as an artistic expression.

Constructivism Upgraded:

 

Figure 4: H. Masiya, Streetwalker, 2017, Photography.

This is an example of constructivism in the 20^th century. I took this photograph for one of my briefs and I figured it would be a good example of what constructivism it. Constructivism is the word itself, art that is constructed to make something new, or to produce something new. I had to untangle the shoelaces n the shoe, then lay it down on a red cloth and towel, add some typography that would complement that photograph properly and at the end give meaning to the photograph as a whole using denotation and connotation.

These are different elements, however I did not change the way they are, I just constructed them in different ways so that are seen differently rather than making the entire element different, and that is what constructivism was all about, this movement continued for centuries till today.

Bibliography

The Art Story. (2015). Constructivism Movement, Artists and Major Works. [online] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-constructivism-artworks.htm#pnt_2 [Accessed 22 May 2017].

The Museum of Modern Art. (2017). El Lissitzky | MoMA. [online] Available at: https://www.moma.org/artists/3569?locale=en&page=1&direction= [Accessed 22 May 2017].

The Art Story. (2015). Constructivism Movement, Artists and Major Works. [online] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-constructivism.htm [Accessed 22 May 2017].

www.wikiart.org. (2017). Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge, 1920 - El Lissitzky. [online] Available at: https://www.wikiart.org/en/el-lissitzky/beat-the-whites-with-the-red-wedge-1920 [Accessed 22 May 2017].

Pinterest. (2017). 900. [online] Available at: https://za.pinterest.com/pin/573294227551559427/ [Accessed 22 May 2017].

Zythepsary.com. (2017). Suprematism and Constructivism. [online] Available at: http://zythepsary.com/art20scourse/construct.html [Accessed 22 May 2017].

being in orbit. (2017). Russian Constructivism: From Avant-Garde to Propaganda. [online] Available at: https://beinginorbit.wordpress.com/essays/from-avant-garde-to-propaganda/ [Accessed 22 May 2017].

Sarabianov, A. (2017). El Lissitzky | Russian artist. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/El-Lissitzky [Accessed 22 May 2017].

The Museum of Modern Art. (2017). El Lissitzky. USSR Russische Ausstellung. 1929 | MoMA. [online] Available at: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/6458?locale=en [Accessed 22 May 2017].