Constructivism In The Russian Revolution

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Russian Constructivist Photomontage Design The Russian Constructivism style and philosophies were born from revolution and experimentation. Soviets where done with the Tsarist autocracy and all that it stood for. The country demanded a new identity to match their post revolutionary ideals. In a time when mass production and new inventions were flooding into Russian life, it is fitting that Constructivists relied heavily on new technology. The standard ideals of art where thrown out and had no business in the new communist Russian way of life. Art, at the time, was for an “elite class”. Constructivism was created to address the needs and ideals of the “working class.” Victor Margolin sums up the Constructivist …show more content…
The Russian Civil War dated from 1917-1922 and with its end brought about the beginning of the Soviet Union. Design in all disciplines flourished from the mass amounts of political unrest. In his essay Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge, Ales Erjavec states, “In a society thoroughly permeated with political ideology, such as that of Russia of the twenties, art shared the destiny of this society” (Erjavec, 2014). Through political turmoil, Constructivism was …show more content…
“Rodchenko’s photographs showed evident skill and ability within the rhetoric of political propaganda” (Milner, 2009) (Figure 2). He used strong diagonals in his photographic early collages and tended to form geometric patterns with his photographs. Graphic designers in poster, editorial, and even package design currently use this strong compositional style, mixed with geometric shapes today as it easily achieves some of the basic design principles of contrast, balance, and repetition. Alexander was one of the few pioneers to recreate the art of photomontage and use it for design. Rodchenko’s love for photography and collage eventually led to his most recognized photomontage work that has influenced much of the design world today (Figures