Constructivism

Collage and Constructivism
       
       Social change more than any other kind of change, seems to bring about new art movements. The social disruptions in Russia proved to be no exception. The Russian revolution brought Constructivism with it. The Constructivist art movement was truly revolutionary. Until the third decade of the 20th Century, Russian art had seemed to be caught in a web of romanticism. Painters appeared to be in love with a candied society featuring aristocrats in central European attire, or overreaching paintings of romantic aspects of the Russian countryside.
       
       By contrast Constructivist art was characterized by the use of industrial materials in its creations, primarily glass, various plastic substances and metal components. The resulting art had a strong impersonal flavor, downplaying the individual and accentuating a dedication to the common good. Materials favored by Constructivist artists naturally lent themselves to collage. Collage from this period can be found in stage design, sculpture, architectural models, and painting.
       
       At the beginning of its inception, around 1920, Constructivism was confined to Russia where it existed along with vestiges of the old romanticism, but soon the influence of Constructivist artists spread to artists and architects throughout Europe and the United States.
       
       The four principle figures in the Constructivist movement were Vladimir Tatlin (1885-1953), Kasimir Malevich (1878-1935), Alexander Rodchenko (1891-1956) and El Lissitzky (1900-1941). Tatlin who is generally considered the “Father of Constructivism,” ran away to become a merchant seaman at the age of 14. On his return to Russia he became fascinated by Picasso’s work, went to Paris and began working in Picassso’s studio. His first designs utilized glass and wood as well as building materials. Tatlin’s contribution to the collage dialogue came primarily through structured three-dimensional reliefs.
       
       Kasimir Malevich dramatically demonstrated his contempt for the bourgeoisie in his “Still Life with Mona Lisa” by recreating the famous DaVinci portrait, then defacing her with lines across her face. He inserted cubist elements in the rest of the canvas.
       
       We see a waiter, guest and cutlery -- all in collage format -- in Rodchenko’s “Another Cup of Tea” (1923). Lissitzky was probably the best-known Constructivist in the West.
       
       Russian women also played a major role in the Constructivist movement. The Guggenheim Museum in New York City recently featured the most prominent women Constructivist figures in a popular exhibition with the title “Amazons of the Avant-Garde” recently. Alexandra Exter, Liubov Popova and Natalia Goncharova were featured. Their work is less somber and more colorful than that of their male counterparts. The collages of this group are distinguished by their strong decorative quality, which in turn was easily translated into stage and costume design.