дизайн RUSSIAN CONSTRUCTIVISM
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TEAM Adam Hassen Conor Kelly Daniela Osorio Helen O’Connor Henry Kirby Lewis Morgan Maya Forcione
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CONTENTS
Introduction 1
Context: The Russian Revolution
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Art before the Revolution
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Key Characteristics:
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Typography 4.1
Geometrics 4.2
Use of colours - Nationalistics
Photography and photomontage
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Key participants
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Constructivism in:
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Art 7.1
Architecture 7.2
Film 7.3 5
INTRODUCTION The constructivist movement was an artistic philosophy that become prominent in Russia in 1917. It emerged as a response to a feeling of political powerlessness that artists experienced throughout the Russian Empire. The movement aimed to be part of the construction of a new society, in which workers, scientist, artists, engineers, etc, would search for solutions to their modern problems. This book will first aim to study the political, social and economical context in which the movement emerged and then it will examine how Constructivism became a tool to project and promote the cause of the Bolcheviques in Russia. It will also examine who were the main exponents and the key characteristics that define this movement in terms of typography, colours, photography and photomontage amongst others. Finally this study will explore the great influence that Constructivism had on many of the movements during the 20th century and in contemporary examples of art and design.
Kazimir Malevich Black Square 1915 6
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THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION For almost two hundred years Russia had been ruled by an absolute monarchy, meaning that the Tsar had the last word in every decision as he was of the highest authority. This also meant that the inequality between classes was extreme and that privileges for most of the population were almost non-existent. In February of 1917 the Russian Empire was going through the third winter of the First World war, the priority was not to feed the suffering people of the capital city; Petrograd, know today as St. Petersburg. The lack of bread and the fact that the bread was going to be rationed made women come out of the factories to the streets to protest on the 23rd of February 1917. At the end of the day the men had joined them, making it clear that there was a significant strike in the capital. The purpose of the strike moved from the demand of bread to the demand of the removal of the emperor, the Tsar Nicolas II. Over the next two days the protests increased to the point in which they were difficult to control. The authorities could no longer tolerate the situation and opted for sending in the police and the czars, one of the most brutal fighting units of the Russian Empire, to cut down the demonstrators by using violence. Surprisingly, the czars refused to act against
the people and instead supported the cause. Given the situation the Tsar had to intervene directly, his order was to shoot the demonstrators if they did not disperse. Despite the killing, protests did not stop and members of the police as well as the czars decided to help the peasants. A mutiny started and rebels needed more people to support the cause and the best way of reaching the mass of the Russian people was throughout the use of visual images. It was at that moment in history in which art, in the form of graphic design, film, theatre, poetry, painting and photographs played a role never seen before. Art was used to spread the message and the image of a future of equality and collective work to build a better place for the people of Russia. All artists believed that art could have a profound influence in social development and consequently they all believed in the social role of art thus creating the constructivist movement. The power of the Tsar became almost insignificant, and he was compelled to resign his position. Without his brother willing to replace him and due to the condition of his son, who was a hemophiliac, one of the world’s greatest empires came to an end.
Lenin highjacked the Russian Revolution 1914 9
The Tsarist regime was replaced with a provisional democratic government. This provisional government thought that they should allow someone with the spirit of democracy of the new Russia to enter the country again. His name was Vladimir Lenin. Lenin brought with him from Europe his Marxist ideas and created a plan; writing down his thesis for a socialist future that would enable soviets to have control over their own country, meaning that the provisional government had to be overthrown. With the support of the Bolsheviks his cause resulted in a second revolution, known as the October Revolution, in which the provisional government came to an end. The meaning of the Bolcheviques slogan; all power to the soviets, was not totally true as the power was in the hands of the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution, killing the idealistic dream of democracy in Russia. After the revolution, Russia became a regime of fear that would last 70 years. After the death of Lenin in 1924, Joseph Stalin, the secretary of the party’s central committee took control of what was known as the Soviet Union. Stalin created a system based around terror, so people would not even consider the possibility of rebellion. Stalin brought an end to any hope of democracy in people and in terms of art, Stalin considered Constructivists as bourgeois and did not belong to his new Russia. Therefore, many of the Constructivist artist were exiled, killed or sent to the gulags.
BLOEMEN, Norbert van Peasants Playing Cards 1700s Oil on canvas, 56 x 67 cm The Hermitage, St. Petersburg 10
BLOEMEN, Norbert van Peasants Playing Cards 1700s Oil on canvas, 56 x 67 cm The Hermitage, St. Petersburg 11
ART BEFORE REVOLUTION Prior to examine the characteristics and exponents of the Constructivist movement, it is important to examine Russian Art before the revolution, as it highlights the importance of the Constructivist movement and also explain the significance of the transition from traditional art to social art. For centuries art in Russia did not correspond or represent the reality of the people but instead, it represented the lifestyle of royalty within the Russian Empire. In 1703 Peter the Great, with the help of his daughter Zarina Isabel I, founded St Petersburg, a city that imitates the european style. Zarina contributed to the creation of luxurious palaces which were remarkable for the exuberant baroque style. The Russian monarchy wanted to prove they could imitate European style.
During the Russian Empire artists portray peasants in an unrealistic way, as happy and healthy people. Students who attended the St Petersburg Academy were taught a strict curriculum that was heavily influenced by Greek and Roman art. In other words russian art at this time wasn’t it’s own it was a copy of the European style. Art was not for the people, it was for the rich to show their wealth. By the 1850s many Russian artists such as Pavel Andreyevich Fedotov wanted to stop portraying the wealthy elite in an anachronistic style of painting, they wanted to show the reality of the people from Russia. Fedotov was one of the first artists to show the wealthy elite in a cynical way, this act of rebellion meant the government suppressed his work and stopped it from being recreated because it was seen as too inflammatory.
Peasants Playing Cards BLOEMEN, Norbert van 1700s Oil on canvas, 56 x 67 cm The Hermitage, St. Petersburg 12
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In 1863 students of St Petersburg academy made a petition to allow them to base their art on purely Russian reality. The academy refused and as a form of protest 14 students abandon their studies. They decided to bring their art out of St Petersburg and to other parts of Russia’s vast landscape. They were called the Wonderers. The Wonderers saw themselves as more than just artists; they were aware of Russia’s lack of democracy and thought it needed to change. They felt it was their duty to paint Russian life, instead depicting the hard lives of the peasants and not the extravagant lifestyle of the nobles. They painted the Russian landscapes and key scenes from their history. Political protest was at the core of all of the Wonderers work. Ilya Yefimovich Repin was an artist that the Wonderers admired. Replin’s morals and lifestyle was what the Wonderers wanted to emulate, he was very much against the government and he acted upon this with his writing and painting. In 1873 he painted ‘Barge Haulers on the Volga’ with the purpose to depict the people that were being abused, it was a shout for change. In 1894 Nicholas II became King, he and the Russian royalty were still living in extreme affluence. Despite knowing the vast inequality between the classes and their need for change, he ignored them and resisted democracy to then commission luxuries such as Faberge eggs which were made from expensive materials like diamonds, gold and silver. Artist then began to be more daring within their work, even for commissioned work, one example is the statue of Nicholas II’s late grandfather showed as a fat ‘animal’ of a man. The statue, known as the ‘Hippo Nicholas’, was approved which showed how out of touch he was. 14
Barge Haulers on the Volga Ilya Yefimovich Repin (1844 - 1930) Oil on canvas, 1870-1873 The State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia
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In 1913 Moscow was starting to become the new city of Russian art, it was modern and opened minded. Wassily Kandinsky was an abstract artist from Moscow and his style of painting was very different to anything that had come before him. His paintings were characterised by the use of geometric shapes and basic colour palette which was in heavy contrast to the old style of painting. Kandinsky’s work influenced lots of Constructivist artists.
Kandinsky, Wassily Composition VIII 1923 Oil on canvas
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KEY PARTICIPANTS The Constructivist movement drew upon many artistic styles to form what we know it as today, from Rayonism to Surprematism; by incorporating these styles and their respective artists, Constructivism could be seen as the culmination of all these styles. Alexander Rodchenko was considered one of the most iconic designers of the Constructivism movement; he worked in many different mediums such as sculpture, photography and advertising. During the revolution Rodchenko joined a group called the “Productivists” who aimed to “push for the introduction of art into everyday life” in conjunction with the Constructivists ideals of creating art for social purposes. Prior to becoming a graphic designer Rodchenko was first a painter, he explored other areas later in his life such as photography and photo-montage; it was not long before he had come to the conclusion that painting had become redundant, declaring this in his “The End of Painting” exhibition. This caused a ripple effect amongst many artists who then began to follow this philosophy, thus the beginnings of a new utopian mindset in the context of design. Much of Rodchenko’s work, especially his advertisements for Dobrolet featured propagandistic themes that made the viewer feel guilt and duty; this being a fundamental difference between Russia and Western society in terms of advertising.
Kazimir Malevich 1916 Oil on canvas Supremus #58. Yellow and Black Style, Surprematism
Alexander Rodchenko Promotional poster for Rezinotrest 1919 18
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A Key architect during the Constructivist movement was Vladimir Tatlin. Tatlin’s Tower soon became the central topic of conversation amongst the artists of the avant-garde, it was because of this discussion, that Constructivism was established in 1921. Vladimir Tatlin was noted by many as the father of Constructivism. On a visit to Paris, Tatlin was inspired by Picassos’ wooden relief prints, he appreciated that the prints were created through unconventional means and thus inspired him to begin experimenting with three-dimensional reliefs. This move into a sculptural dynamic soon gave rise to greater ambitions and by 1920 Tatlin exhibited the Monument for the Third International, more commonly known as Tatlin’s tower; the spiral shaped building was intended to be a government office, its creation is considered by some as the beginning of Constructivism. Rodchenko’s wife Varvara Stepnova was also a designer and photographer. Stepnova was an influential member in the avant-garde movement, much of her work draws upon the Cubist and Futurist movements which is evident in her vast array of posters and book designs. Stepnova worked to bring “revolutionary change within society” this being an approach seen much more at this time as it was in keeping with the utilitarian concept of art and design that was encouraged by the country’s political context.
Vladimir Tatlin Model photographed in 1920 20
Varvara Stepnova later became heavily involved within the theatrical scene in Russia, both producing and designing garments. Stepnova and Rodchenko’s work was created to influence change in the circumstances that for centuries russian people like them selves had been subjected to. El Lissitzky is most famous for his propaganda work for the soviets during the 20th century; his early work made use of geometric shapes, to which he referred to them as ‘PROUNS’. These shapes were largely produced with a 3D perspective, this being contradictory to the design ethos of the Suprematist movement who favour simplicity and 2D design. However, Lissitzky much like Rodchenko was well known for his use of bold colour, lettering and diagonal elements, these all relating back to the general desire of the movement to move into mass production. Naum Gabo relocated to London during the second world war, here he began to influence the growth of the Constructivist ideals within design; the movement soon manifested itself within sculpture. In Gabo’s case this was in the form of kinetic sculpture; the practise of creating something with moveable elements. Essentially Gabo’s work focused on the “exploration of space” which can be seen in practise in one of his sculptures named “Head No. 2” wherein the purpose of the sculpture was to illustrate the form of the head whilst not carrying the mass..
Head No.2 Naum Gabo 1916, enlarged version 1964 21
KEY CHARACTERISTICS Graphic Design within the Constructivist period had many fundamental characteristics. It was bold, patriotic, and sent a message to the people of Russia. The work was never just decorative it had to serve a purpose, art communicated a direct message to the general public, and it told them what to do and what to say. The art was very influential for political change in Russia. The use of basic shapes, geometric styling, nonemotional and experimental themes gives the Constructivist movement a high degree of abstraction, modernity and simplicity that could be recognised internationally. The work denoted a degree of patriotism, and conveyed a sense of power through its use of colour. The work was dominated by the colour red; the colour of the communist revolution. The strong use of the colour black is also typically used to create contrast and enhance other colours, it also represents Capitalism. When red is set against the black it can seem more vibrant. And finally white is a common colour featured in the Constructivist movement, perhaps it symbolised purity or maybe Constructivists at the time saw it’s potential as negative space. It was also a cheap alternative, as the canvas could be left blank therefore reducing the cost of paint.
El Lissitzky produced the work ‘Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge’ in 1919. The key characteristics of the work include geometric shapes of flat colour intertwining with each other, creating a sense of chaos with the piece of art. The work illustrates a triangle destroying the formality of the square, which symbolised the aggression and social change within the revolution. ‘Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge’ The feeling of patriotism within Constructivist art is a prominent feature, it seems there was a sense of unity within the revolution. Labourers in the factories and peasants in the country teamed together and fought against the top-heavy regime ruled by Stalin. They unified and formed a nationalistic mind-set which comes out within the artwork. The use of clenched fists, pointing fingers and marching soldiers convey power and aggression. This was the work that was most prominent within the time of the revolution. However nationalistic imagery does still come through within the work and it is a key element of Constructivism.
Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge El Lissitzky 1919 22
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Since the beginning of the 1920s, Alexander Rodchenko began to take a huge interest in photography, he began by experimenting with interesting angles, and then developed his talents into photomontage and furthered his career into developing inspiring film posters, book covers and magazine covers. Because pictures can be taken with a camera from every position, photography, in Rodchenko’s opinion, corresponded to the active eye. He believed that taking pictures of an object from unusual positions enabled the viewer to get a better grasp of the form of the object. When you observe and object you view the entire 3D form, therefore it seems appropriate to do this through photography. Developments in technology, particularly photography, introduced a new medium for Constructivists to work with. Photomontage and bold typography was Rodchenko’s latest development, the combination of the two mediums was highly influential and had unique styling. Example of this type of work is the advertisment ‘Watches’ designed in 1923, whereby a combination of bold type and photomontage is utilised.
Watches Alexander Rodchenko 1927
On the Fire-escape Alexander Rodchenko 1927 25
http://en.wahooart. com/@@/8XXMQB-Alexander-Rodchenko-Watches-(2)
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Rodchenko combined his photography with the existing surreal styling into his designs for advertisements and propaganda campaigns. This included the most famous “KNIGI� poster featuring the shouting lady where Rodchenko produced the imagery, Vladimir Mayakovsky the words and his wife posing as the subject. The work was designed to persuade factory workers to learn how to read, and it was work such as this that turned Moscow into the hub for angular, simple but powerful design.
KNIGI poster Alexander Rodchenko Vladimir Mayakovsky 1924 27
Another key characteristic of Russian Constructivist art was the similarity between the typefaces they used. They were bold, abstract, angular and large, with an association with power. The text was commonly flat colour and easy to print, considering the time period this was a necessity. This is because the majority of the work was to be displayed on walls, large signs and had to be applied quickly onto a surface. An awareness of social realism is apparent here, the general public of Russia (factory workers, farmers, labourers etc‌) were mainly illiterate and large, bold typefaces were necessary for the campaigns to communicate effectively.
Alexander Rodchenko Maquette for a trade union poster Trade Union is a Defender of Female Labour 1925 28
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PHOTOGRAPHY AND PHOTOMONTAGE After the 1920s, photography was becoming an increasingly important part of Constructivist design, photomontage in particular. As mentioned in the key characteristics section of this book, one of the main reasons for the adoption of this technique was because it helped to provide the decline of the movement losing social construction while enabling the viewer to enter the three-dimensional world of constructivism, through two-dimensional photographic montage designs. It was due to the impact of WWI that photomontage became an art form. The term ‘photomontage’ was not invented until just after the war when the Berlin Dadaists needed a name to describe their new method of introducing photographs into their works. The Constructivists were early developers of the techniques of photomontage; the “Russian pioneer of photomontage” Gustav Klutsis’ works named ‘Dynamic City’ and ‘Lenin and Electrification’ (1919-20) has been claimed to be the first examples of this method. Although this exploration within realism and photography gradually began to erode the constructivist principles, and produced various conflicts through the artistic groups, artists still looked for new ways to create political awareness using Constructivist principles; they found that using powerful photography merged perfectly with bold type and experimental graphics.
Stairs Aleksandr Rodchenko 1930 30
http://en.wahooart. com/@@/8XXMQB-Alexander-Rodchenko-Watches-(2)
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Alexander Rodchenko Caricature Showing Osip Brik, cover for LEF Magazine 1924 32
Evolved from the techniques of cubist collage, constructivist photomontage was closely linked with the ‘anti-art’ themes of Dadaism from Berlin. The Dadaists used the photograph as a ready-made starting point and would paste on to them with newspaper or magazine cuttings and letter forms as well as adding their own drawings, to form their chaotic, explosive images. The photograph became dominant in Dada design, for which it was an effective and appropriate material and means to communicate. This resulted in the word gaining currency in the context of an art movement.
"One has to take several
Alexander Rodchenko began to experiment with photomontage in 1924 after being impressed by the photomontage of the German Dadaists. He combined photography with other mediums to form a multi medium style. His photographs followed the appropriate style of the time, he experimented with creative angles and distortion within the subject matter. His first published photomontage was Mayakovsky’s poem, ‘About This’, in 1923. Rodchenko was keen on experimenting and breaking the rules with perspective and compositional techniques. He often shot his subjects from odd angles (usually high above or below) to shock the viewer and to postpone recognition. Whereas now it is recognised as one of the most classic and exemplary work of the Russian Avant-Garde. He wrote:
one examined it in the
different shots of a subject, from different points of view and in different situations, as if round rather than looked through the same keyhole again and again."
His images were highly distinctive, eliminating unnecessary detail and could easily engage the audience towards a particular view when developed into photomontage format.
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Rodchenko’s work communicated truth to audience. A photograph is a snapshot of real life, it tells a real story, whereas alternative mediums such as illustration could be drawn to represent a fictional purpose. These factors contributed to the development of photography within Constructionism and aided Constructors such as Rodchenko in designing for a purpose. Photography was used for posters, pamphlets, ephemera and general propaganda. The introduction of photography was new and exciting to the Russian public, it became a modern way and it instigated a change for all kinds of design in the future. The representational qualities and ideas within the artwork were far more important than the physical appearance, and this was a quality that photomontage could bring to the table for many constructivists. With the incorporation of the camera, these pieces of artwork now began to contain elements of ‘the real’, with an obvious direction towards realism. This helped to influence audiences in a more direct way, using documentary qualities that a graphic image would struggle to convey.
Alexander Rodchenko Morning exercises, Student Campus in Lefortovo 1932 34
http://artblart.com/tag/ alexander-rodchen-
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ARCHITECTURE The Russian Constructivists caused a mass change in the Russain Arts, Theatre, Film and Architecture. It radicalised the way in which they were presented to the public after the revolution occurred.
Architecture was at the forefront of the Arts movement. Designers were no longer considered to be artists, they were architects or ‘Constructors’, as their work was meant to serve a practical purpose and not to simply decorate. Soviet Architecture had a huge reputation in design history, as many of the architectural concepts were only appreciated for their practical functionality years later. The Civil War caused chaos and anarchy within Russia, which impacted upon the development of the architecture of that time, this resulted in architects searching for a new creative trend. A futuristic ethos was formed, materials such as glass and steel were being considered for major building projects, and more ambitious concept designs were created such as the revolving tower designed by Vladimir Tatlin. There was also a consideration for efficient design, straight steel beams were a common characteristic of Russian architecture, as they were strong, cost efficient and fulfilled the purpose of the building.
Zuev workers club Illya Golosov Moscow (1928-1931)
The Soviet towns were very heavily influenced by Industrialisation within Russia. Throughout the Civil War, Russia had turned itself into a large scale building site. There were factories, electricity stations, and mines next to natural resources and recently built living accommodation. As a result, architects designed flexible concepts so that towns could be expanded. There was a consideration for the functional buildings in the towns and the streets already in place. With this attitude, architects could reconstruct towns without effecting the essential areas of towns.
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THEATRE In 1918, Russia was commemorating the anniversary of the 1917 Oct nd theatrical groups performed ‘A Pantomime of The Great Revolution’ in soldiers, workers and student clubs. However, professional theatres remained neutral and maintained their level of work, they didn’t stage the production. On the third anniversary of the October Revolution ‘The Storming of The Winter Palace’ was showcased; it was a re-enactment of the historical events that occurred in Petrograd in 1917. Over 6,000 people were involved in the production and it was watched by around a further 100,000. It was produced by three men, Nikolai Evreinov, Alexander Kugel and Nikolai Petrov, organised by Dmitri Temkin and the set designs were created by Yury Annenkov. Performances like these became increasingly less popular after the civil war, but they had a profound impact on early Soviet propagandist theatre. Alexander Tairov, an eminent Russian theatre director, in 1930 said ‘A propagandist theatre after a revolution is like mustard after a meal’, it is incongruous. There was only one experimental theatre that would survive the revolution, the Kamerny Theatre, which was set up by Alexander Tairov in 1914.
Meyerhold The Magnanimous Cuckold 1922 38
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FILM During the revolution many filmmakers had trouble producing their work due to the Tsarist rules on what could and could not be shown. Tsarist censorship was carried out on film productions by the police in Russia; any representation of hard work, assassination or the French Revolution were not aloud to be mentioned. Then a man named Alexander Kerensky came to power before the Revolution and he abolished the censorship allowing directors to film as they pleased. The film, 'Strike at the Battleship Potemkin', directed by filmmaker ‘Sergei Eisenstein’ in 1925, was a silent movie presenting a dramatized adaptation of the mutiny that occurred in 1905, when the crew of the Russian Battleship Potemkin rebelled against their officers of the Tsarist regime. He used hundreds of interesting angles, shocking human faces and machinery in one montage, which created a surreal effect. This was his basic methodology that revolutionised the Russian film industry for years to come.
The most memorable scene from this film was known as the 'Odessa Steps Sequence'. It shows the Tsar's soldiers dressed in white marching down the steps and firing bullets into the crowd of civilians below. It displayed people in chaos and intense distress as a mass struggle to flee the area took place. (Image) A young boy was badly wounded and a his father returned to save him, he pleaded to the guards walking directly towards them 'Don't shoot, My boy is very ill', following orders they shot him with his son in his arms. As mentioned earlier, the film was a dramatized version of what happened during the revolution. This event never happened, but it gave a sense of what the Tsarist regime was like and what the population feared.
Sergei Eisenstein Strike at the Battleship Potemkin Odessa Steps Sequence 1925 41
INFLUENCE OF CONSTRUCTIVISM IN THE XX AND XXI CENTURY Russian Constructivism sought to create a new rationale and has had a long-lasting impact on graphic design. Designers looked to a future of form inspired by the machine – functional, ordered, minimal and rational. The idea of objectivity replaced subjectivity. This movement had a great effect on modern art movements in the 20th century, such as De Stijl and art schools such as the Bauhaus. It also had major impacts upon architecture, graphic and industrial design, theatre, film, dance, fashion and to some extent music. The handful of various unforgettable artists around the time of the Russian Revolution succeeded significantly in devising a visual vocabulary that could take the place of language and speak more directly to the people. The movement was in favour of art as a practice for social purposes. “Constructivism appeals to designers because its references are graphic, and graphic art appealed to the Constructivists because it was the means to mass communication for all,” says Sophie Thomas the founding director of Thomas matthews design agency.
Aleksandr Rodchenko advertisement for Moscow agricultural industry) 1923
Piet Mondrian Composition C (No.III) with Red, Yellow and Blue 1935 42
Joost Schmidt Poster for Bauhaus exhibition 1923
1942-43 Difficult Kurt Schwitters
mainly when looking at his designs which seem to contain a repetitive use of straight lines, geometric 2D shapes and a limited amount of colour. He had a strong involvement with revolutionary art to fit political purposes. In Weimar, September 1922, Lissitzky met with two others (the Dada artist Kurt Schwitters and Sophie Kuppers who had been an artistic director of the Kestner society in Hanover) in a congress of Constructivists and Dadaists in Germany. Their exchange of ideas contributed to the formation and core of thWe Bauhaus after 1923. They believed in the use of art as a platform to communicate an important political message, which was greatly influenced by the Constructivist movement they were involved in. Lissitzkys’ aim was to communicate the messages of political symbolism and to portray this meaning through the typography and structure of shapes and appearance. This German design school shaped 20th century graphic design, product design, furniture and architecture.
Constructivism has influenced all kinds of artists. El Lissitzky, one of the most innovative designers and an important figure of the Russian avant-garde. He did not refer to himself as an artist, designer or typographer; he was a constructor, an architect of information. The main themes noticed in Lissitzky’s work are firstly his series of abstract geometric paintings, followed by his suprematist style focused on basic geometric forms. You can tell he was always influenced by his architectural background;
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“No movement in art has found more favour with designers than the short-lived creative revolution that became known as Constructivism” Aldersey (2008).
As for the influence of Constructivism in contemporary days, the British Graphic Designer, Neville Brody’s work focuses largely on electronic communications design. One of his big influences has in fact been El Lissitzky, which you can see in his distinct use of 2D, limited amount of colours (mainly black, white and red). “For me,” says Brody, “what happened between 1914 and 1935 has dictated everything that has happened since in any area of design.” Take Brody’s Nike advertisement (shown to right) for example. Just like Lissitzky’s propaganda poster for the Revolutionary War, the main colours used for this advertisement are black and white as well as red in the words “Just zap it”. It is similar to Lissitzky’s work not only because of the colour choice but also in the way you can see they
both are not afraid to take risks with angle or size. It is clear they like exploring vertical and diagonal text as well as the traditional horizontal alignment. There is a strong theme of geometry, which depicts their architectural backgrounds. Another example of the influence of Constructivism in contemporary design is the album artwork for Franz Ferdinand’s album ‘You Could Have it So Much Better’ (shown bottom right) which is clearly an imitation of one of the most famous Constructivist pieces. The original poster was created by Rodchenko in his iconic photomontage style, and made for a Moscow publisher in 1924 This album cover was a pastiche of Rodchenko’s work.
Neville Brody Nike advertisement 2012 45
CONCLUSION Constructivism was an artistic movement that has come to define a torrid time in Russian History; born from frustration and the desire to change it was the tool that artists, called the Russian Constructivists, used to communicate to the masses. It was for all, speaking to and for those ‘lesser’ classes who were being suppressed by the Russian governments xenophobic ways. These designers were an eclectic group of minds that had the same core understanding and ideas of the need for change in Russia and for the Russian’s people need to fight for it. The designers discussed in this book, such as Naum Gabo, Kasimir Malevich, Alexander Rodchenko, created a new way of working that has helped shape, and continues to shape, design over the last century. Their work, in the form of graphic design and architecture, is recognizable due to its basic form and colour; it’s renowned for its calculated and clear ordered structure, geometric styling, economy of materials, page space and colour as well as the simple yet emotive choices
of colour. This combined defined a visual language that is understood by, and is applicable to, all areas of design back from the aftermath of Word War One to the present day. After the revolutionary times in Russia, the Constructivists turned back to creating work for themselves, moving away from any social or political standing. It was around this time when the Constructivist legacy would start to spread. Due to exile or moving out of the country, the Constructivism style started to feature heavily in other part of the western world, predominantly in Germany until the end of the 1920’s. This was when design outlets such as photography and photomontage started to appear more often in Constructivist work, whilst some still remaining to their artistic routes in painting and sculpture. In more modern times their impact is still evident, due to their need to communicate and success in doing so, their work is timeless. It can be understood and is pertinent in modern situations and times.
The Stenberg Brothers Man with a Movie Camera 1927 Alexander Rodchenko On the Fire-escape 1927 46
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