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Russian Constructivism
Russian Constructivism
VLADIMIR TATLIN
Vladimir Tatlin was born in Moscow in 1895. He was trained
at the Moscow school of painting, sculpture and architecture
and at the Penza art school. He is known as the father of
constructivism. He explains that constructivism is all about
how the artist reflects ideas to the society. He defines it as the
“art into life “his constructivist ideas were inspired by
Picasso painting.
His first constructivism idea can be seen in the form of
painterly relief’s with combination of metal, wood and glass.
And abandoned the traditional tools and technique like brush,
oil paint, canvas etc. according to him constructivist object
also occupied real space. So the painterly relief’s used the flat
wall as the background and the counter relief’s used the
intersection of two walls as background.
Vladimir Tatlin ins best known for an architectural project
the monument for third international (1919-1920) in Moscow
which represent post revolutionary aesthetic in Russia. It was
the industrial, kinetic, innovative, symbolic scheme to house
the congress halls of the state. This monument shows what
constructivism is?
The structure was 990ft high with cube pyramid and cylinder
made of glass, suspended inside the giant spiral. The lowest
cube contain congress hall and would turn about its axis once
a year. The pyramid which is located at the middle was for
administration and would turn about its axis once a month
and the cylinder hung at the topmost part contained press and
public facilities and would turn about its axis once a day. The
main concept behind this structure was dynamism i.e.
movement or change brought with time. His structure
becomes a symbol for international modernism.
KONSTANTINE MELNIKOV
Konstantine melnikov was born in Moscow in 1890
. He studied architecture in Moscow school of painting,
sculpture and architecture. He was one of the brilliant,
imaginative architects of the twentieth century and was
consider as one of the major innovators of early soviet
architecture. He was among the architect to seek new form in
response to the demand of new understanding. He was
highly influenced by the work of Vladimir Tatlin.
He was an individualistic who searched for unique design
solution. he introduce new planning solution for direct and
dramatic expression in the massive form, which can be
clearly seen in his entry for Paris exposition of 1925 which
included a diagonal stairs that led to entries at the center of
building effecting dramatic interpretation of exterior and
interior space.
His work were too expressionistic, too individual, so
incapable of mass production, even critics find hard to
criticize his work. Architect accused him of formulizing the
architecture and put him to house arrest and after which he
was silence an architect.