Marineetti’s manifesto of Futurism is mainly about rebelling against tradition and praising the sense of speed and movement brought by mechanical civilization. In his manifesto, he demanded that Futurist artists abandon all the frameworks and become free and improvised. It is obvious that Futurism in Marineetti’s Manifesto was an international phenomenon at the time in the world. At the same time, a wind of futurism blew in Russia as well. Similar to other historical trends, this futurism seems to have different directions and textures in different countries.
From Rodcheko’s manifesto, Russian constructivism seems to have pursued various ‘experiments’ in the art, industrial machine, aesthetic and utility by accepting the optimism of European technology at that time. Constructivism is no longer limited to fine art such as painting and sculpture, but based on experiments in various fields of art such as design and literature. As such, it seemed that it was positive for the intervention of art in reality, and tried to achieve a new reform of politics beyond art for mere expression. It is believed that a close relationship between people’s lives and art was established.
El lissitzky’s writing is similar to Rodchenko. By developing a new painting style, graphic design was used as means of expressing the ideals of socialism. Constructivists considered and rejected works of art as products of the old age for the bourgeoisie, armed with a new way of expression, abstraction, and tried to eliminate the distinction between art and labor. In that respect, it can be said that the production method of machinery, especially photographic technology, fits the constructivist ideals.
As such, constructivism is characterized by geometric and abstract forms in the trend of avant-garde, which was the mainstream of Russian art. Constructivism, characterized by geometric and abstract forms, pursued ‘space and time(speed)’, and industrial materials and practicality. Art is no longer made only of canvases and paints, but has become a story of the times we live in with various materials. In a radically changing society, the perceptions of artists changed, and constructivism was seen as one of art experiments. It is clear that geometrical and mechanically praised works began in this period and have influenced the present day.
Leave a Reply