Blog 7:

Constructivism

After the 1917 revolution there where new forms of expression in art, design and architecture. Dramatic schemes for the expansion of goods where incorporated and so there was the publications of two manifestos published in Russia. The first one was published in 1920 with the name of: The programme of the Group of Constructivists and the second one was: Realistic Manifesto. Both manifestos included the process of the coming existence of the movement Constructivism. 

Constructivism is a term which refers to the movement which was set up in Russia and had new ideas and new experimentation on art, literature, design and even architecture which where inspired from Art movements such as Cubism and Futurism. So now constructivists believed that the applied art can reinforce new social organisations which could bring the production of art and architecture.

As a result, after the revolution there was a complete crisis which was political and even economical throughout Russia. This caused few large scaled houses where built and constructivists began to show their designs which where mainly made out of ceramic or porcelain and on the ceramics it was often decorated with suprematist. 

Suprematist motifs are geometric forms which come in any size and shape, often used the square and the rectangle and of different colours. Normally these shapes are set against plain white background for complete contrast between the colours on the foreground of the object. 

Such designs where commonly used by these two painters and designers which made several paintings along with other products such as cups and saucers. 

Cup and Saucer - Wassiliy Kandinsky

Nikolai Suetin - Suprematistservis

On a more modern scale, the very famous architect who recently died; Zaha Hadid, made an interesting exhibition in Zurich which features the juxtaposition of the avant-guarde Russian artists with her own work on architecture. This exhibition was located in The Galerie Gumurzynska, and what we find very interesting is the complete connection between architecture and art. 

Zaha here plays a lot with 2D and 3D space. The first thing one can notice is the window which is in perspective and creates a complete canvas between the floors and the walls altogether. On the walls and floors one could notice two shades of colour; the black and the white. These represent two eras which are the white for the Russian era and the Black for Zaha Hadid. So anything which is seen on black is relevant or linked with the Hadid's architecture and anything seen on white are linked with the Russians revolutionists.

Four themes are inscribed in this exhibition. Abstraction, flotation, distortion and fragment all of which are perfectly combined together with a complete flow. Walking through the exhibition one could feel and notice a certain connection between the objects and the drawings placed there. What Zaha Hadid wanted to show was the translation of suprematism into architecture.

Reference:

domusweb.it. (2016). Zaha Hadid and Russian avant-garde at Galerie Gmurzynska. [online] Available at: http://www.domusweb.it/en/architecture/2010/07/19/zaha-hadid-and-russian-avant-garde-at-galerie-gmurzynska.html#fb2 [Accessed 20 May 2016].

Anon, (2016). [online] Available at: http:// [Accessed 20 May 2016].

Fiell, C. and Fiell, P. (1999). Design of the 20th century. Köln: Taschen.