Appearance:

In 1923-1925. in Soviet architecture, a new direction developed - constructivism and the rallying of supporters of the new direction around the leaders who became the Vesnin brothers. In the projects of public buildings by the Vesnin brothers, who participated in the first competitions of the 1920s, the emergence of a new architecture that meets the spirit of the times was recorded.

Peculiarities:

It is characterized by severity, geometrism, laconic forms and monolithic appearance. In 1924, the official creative organization of constructivists, the OSA, was created, whose representatives developed the so-called functional design method, based on a scientific analysis of the features of the functioning of buildings, structures, urban planning complexes. Typical monuments of constructivism are kitchen factories, palaces of labor, workers' clubs, communal houses of the specified time.

Architects who worked in constructivism:

Leonid, Victor and Alexander Vesnin, Moisey Yakovlevich Ginzburg, Konstantin Melnikov, Ivan Leonidov, Alexander Gegello, Ilya Golosov, Boris Iofan, Joseph Karakis, Charles Le Corbusier, Oleg Lyalin and many others.

Examples of constructivism in architecture:

Palace of Culture of the Likhachev Plant on Vostochnaya Street in Moscow.

Built by the Vesnin brothers in 1937.

House of Culture named after S.M. Zuev, architect. I.A. Golosov, 1927-1929.

Resettlement project at the Magnitogorsk Combine, architect. I. I. Leonidov, 1930.

"North wind"

The complex and contradictory era of the beginning of the 20th century left us a legacy of an eternally young revolutionary art - the Russian avant-garde, the most striking manifestation of which was constructivism in architecture. Although constructivism is considered a Soviet art, its ideas originated earlier. For example, features of this style can be seen even in the Eiffel Tower. But, of course, in the development of innovative proletarian art, the USSR was ahead of the rest of the world!

Brothers Leonid, Victor and Alexander Vesnin, M. Ya. Ginzburg, K. Melnikov, I. A. Golosov, A. M. Rodchenko, A. M. Gan, V. E. Tatlin, V. F. Stepanova are the most famous artists who developed this style in its various manifestations, such as architecture, aesthetics, design, graphics, painting, photography.

Creative people of the avant-garde era 1920-1930 rejected the principle of "art for the sake of art" and decided that henceforth it should serve exclusively practical purposes. Geometry, flat roofs, an abundance of glass, unconventional shapes, a complete lack of decor - these are the distinctive features of this architecture. Constructivism was also a reaction to noble and merchant architecture, arrogant, pompous and classically traditional. Unusual in the new buildings were not only the forms, but also the types of these buildings: communal houses, dormitories, kitchen factories - all this reflected utopian ideas about a new, revolutionary life, where there is no place for anything bourgeois, individual, but everything is common, in including everyday life, and even raising children.

In 1924, Ginzburg and the Vesnin brothers created the OSA (Association of Contemporary Architects), which included leading constructivists. Since 1926, the Constructivists also had their own magazine, which was called "Contemporary Architecture". It lasted only five years.

V. Paperny, the author of the book "Culture 2", quotes an interesting quote: "The proletariat," wrote the author of one of the most extremist projects of those years, "must immediately begin to destroy the family as an organ of oppression and exploitation." And yet, despite its utilitarianism, constructivism is considered a very romantic phenomenon. The fact is that it was here that the wonderful bold, rebellious spirit was best manifested. And, if in life the consequences of this revolutionary spirit are doubtful, then in art it left its unusual and vivid mark.

A fresh wind that blew away the merchant drowsiness, a bird that, in order to fly, must feed on its own meat (a metaphor for the destruction of the old, mentioned by Paperny), northern aspiration to infinity.

These structures, strange even in modern times, leave a feeling of cold and soulless, almost lifeless, mechanical world - "sheds and barracks".

Here is what M. Ya. Ginzburg wrote about this: "... continuous mechanization of life" is taking place, and the machine is "... a new element of our life, psychology and aesthetics."

Ginzburg and Milinis in 1928-30 built a commune house on Novinsky Boulevard Narkomfin employees... The house is designed so that you can live in it, so to speak, without interrupting production: several buildings perform different functions. There is a living area, a dining room, a gym, a library, a public service building, a nursery, a kindergarten, and workshops.

Life, work and creativity tried to combine the chief architect of the Russian avant-garde Konstantin Melnikov in his famous home workshop in Krivoarbatskiy lane. The striking circular building with many hexagonal windows seems small. But those who were inside say that this impression is deceiving, Melnikov's house is quite spacious. The architect was very attached to his family and wanted to connect the workshop and living quarters and at the same time improve the way of life as much as possible. Many interesting things were told at the lecture dedicated to this masterpiece of constructivism. For example, what Melnikov thought was an omission, that a person spends so much time idle - in a dream. He worked to somehow find a use for sleep, but he never found it.

In the Arbat area there is also the first Soviet skyscraper - a building Mosselprom painted with Mayakovsky's slogans by Alexander Rodchenko. The house housed warehouses, the administration of Moscow grocery stores, part of the building was residential. In addition to slogans, Rodchenko placed advertising images on the wall: Mishka Clubfoot sweets, Stomach Friend milk and beer, Herzegovina Flor cigarettes.

The architects' fantasy was most vividly expressed in the creation of clubs and palaces of culture. In 1927-1928, to the anniversary of the revolution, according to the project of I.A.Golosov, one of the first workers' clubs was built - House of Culture named after S.M. Zuev or the Zuev Utility Workers' Union Club, named after a tram locksmith who fought on the barricades in 1905. The center of this building with huge windows on Lesnaya Street is a glass cylinder with a staircase inside, which “holds” the entire body of the building and other elements.

The complex composition of Melnikovsky House of Culture named after Rusakov(the original name is Rusakov's Club of the Union of Communalists) on the street. Stromynka makes a powerful impression. The House of Culture was named in memory of the head of the Sokolniki organization of the Bolshevik Party I. V. Rusakov. Despite its complexity, the cogwheel-like building looks very solid and dynamic. At first glance, it amazes with its three clearly cut, protruding white ends of the auditorium balconies that adjoin the auditorium. Balconies alternate with piers with windows, behind which there are stairs. The hall that occupies the central part of the club is also special - it was designed as a multifunctional one, with the ability to divide it with different partitions. A small but very interesting building that you want to look at from different angles.

And yet, the main goal of the architects who worked in this avant-garde direction is to solve pressing issues, for example, expanding the infrastructure of the city with its growing population. So let's turn our attention from the houses of culture to utilitarian buildings - garages, shops, kitchen factories, bakeries.

Bakery number 5 (Bakery named after Zotov) 1931 on Khodynskaya Street he worked until recently. The building was built in 1931-32 by the architect A.S. Nikolsky and equipped with the innovative technology of engineer G. Marsakov, which ensured the release of 50,000 loaves per day. After a fire in 2007, it was decided to move the production complex to the outskirts of Moscow, and open a cultural and business center in the building. It is not clear what will happen on the site of this monument ...

Bus depot on the street. Obraztsova- one of the most famous creations of K. Melnikov. Melnikov ensured that the finished project of the standard riding type for this garage was replaced with a new one, invented by the architect and more efficient. The metal structures of the roof of the Bakhmetyevsky garage are one of the last significant works of the engineer V.G. Shukhov. In 2001, the condition of the garage was almost threatening, and the building was handed over to the Jewish community, which organized the restoration. Unfortunately, during the restoration, part of Shukhov's structures were demolished. By 2008, the renovation of the building was completed: the roof and the facade were recreated (based on photographs and drawings by Melnikov). Maybe something should have been treated with great attention (for example, obvious traces of European-style renovation do not look at all on the monument of the beginning of the century). But it's still much better than nothing! Now the Bakhmetyevsky garage houses the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art and the Jewish Cultural Center.

Another creation of Melnikov is located near the Bakhmetyevsky bus depot. This is a garage for cars of VAO Intourist. Interestingly, Melnikov joined the project only at the last stage - he only needed to decorate the facade without affecting the layout of the building. The architect presented the facade as a screen on which cars passing along the inner spiral ramp are visible. Despite the paradox of the idea of ​​foreign tourism in a closed state, Melnikov saw this idea in a rosy light: "The tourist's path is depicted as infinity, starting from the sweep of the curve and directing it at a rapid pace up into space."

A new type of buildings of a new era - a factory-kitchen - along with a house-commune perfectly illustrates the ideas of socializing everyday life. It was assumed that people would spend very little time in small dorm rooms, since most of their life would be spent in plain sight, in society: working at a factory, eating at a kitchen factory. Sometimes these establishments were part of a house (residential or industrial premises), sometimes they were located in a separate building. Such is the former kitchen factory, which under the motto "Down with kitchen slavery!" erected on Leningradsky Prospekt by the architect Meshkov. This kitchen was the first in Moscow and the third in the USSR and produced 12,000 meals a day. In the 1970s, the building was rebuilt - the gallery on the third floor was glazed. To date, there is only one operating Soviet catering establishment - a kitchen factory at the MELZ plant, and the building on Leningradsky Prospekt has been occupied by offices, and in general, it looks rather unpresentable, you would never think that this is an architectural monument.

"Leaders" of the new way of life, creators and propagandists of the new culture were in a hurry to test their ideas in practice. House-commune on Gogolevsky Boulevard built for themselves in 1929-1931. under the leadership of Moisei Ginzburg, the same group of architects as the building of the People's Commissariat for Finance, which is why it is sometimes called the latter's younger brother. Young architects Mikhail Barshch, Ignatiy Milinis, Mikhail Sinyavsky, Vyacheslav Vladimirov, Lyubov Slavina, Ivan Leonidov, Alexander Pasternak, Andrei Burov and others entered the housing association "Demonstration Construction".

Outwardly, this building is far from being as interesting as many other monuments of constructivism, but the ideas it expresses are the same: socializing the life of all residents, separating personal space from household needs. The communal house on Gogolevsky belongs to the so-called transitional type: the dining room, laundry and other utility rooms are located in separate blocks of the building, and in the apartments, in the form of "petty bourgeois" concessions, there is a small kitchen, a toilet and a shower.

The house consists of three separate buildings: a six-story building with apartments for bachelors, a seven-story building with two or three-room apartments for families, and a utility building with premises for communal and household needs.

In addition to clubs and garages, mostorgi- department stores for the proletariat. In contrast to the luxurious "capitalist" shops in the center of Moscow, they were built in workers' districts, for example, mostorg in Maryina Roshcha or Danilovsky. But the very first mostorg was erected in an area with a revolutionary name - on Krasnaya Presnya. In 1913-1914, Vladimir Mayakovsky lived on Bolshaya Presnenskaya Street in house number 36, whose avant-garde poetry and its form of content perfectly reflect the atmosphere of that era. In 1927-1928. brothers A.A., V.A. and L.A. Vesnins built Presnensky Mostorg in the neighborhood (later renamed Krasnopresnensky department store). Thanks to its laconic design and good angular location, it blended well with the old buildings. During its construction, new, advanced technologies of economical construction were used, and the glazed facade, which looks like one huge showcase, also symbolized the availability of the department store for everyone.

Apparently, the proletarian poet visited the proletarian department store more than once, and he was especially impressed by the shoes he bought there, which he immortalized in his work. If in the "Poem for Clothes and Youth" these shoes are just not a very successful acquisition of a simple poor girl:

Rubles
got started
at a working daughter,
the proletarian

in a red kerchief.

I went to Mostorg.
In a selling delight
her
creepy shoes
foisted in Mostorg.
(Vladimir Mayakovsky),

then in the work "Love" shoes from Mostorg already serve as an ominous tool of a jealous woman:

“And they love,

faithful nun -

tyrannite

jealousy

any trifle

and measures

for revolving caliber,

wrong

in the back of the head

the bullet is empty.

Fourth -

hero of a dozen battles,

what is dear

scared

from wife's shoes,

a simple shoe from Mostorg. "

Could it be the shoes that turned the girl into a shrew and intimidated the unfortunate warrior-husband? And it looks like children's horror stories: the grandmother said to her granddaughter, do not go to Mostorg, do not buy shoes there. The girl did not obey, bought, got married ... We will never know what such terrible qualities the Mostorg shoes possessed: in memory of that time, we have only Mayakovsky's poems and works of artists and architects of the era of the Russian avant-garde; in the former Presnensky Mostorg, a completely different trade is now conducted. In 2002, the building was privatized by the Benetton company, which carried out reconstruction. The showcase façade was renewed close to the Vesnins' original project, the MOSTORG sign in the style of the 1920s was restored, while the interiors were less fortunate: there was practically nothing left of them.

Many of the constructivist buildings have survived to our time in a very deplorable state - something has become dilapidated or completely destroyed, something has been rebuilt. Palace of Culture of the I. A. Likhachev Automobile Plant- in many ways the work is exceptional. It is the very first and largest workers' club and one of the few well-preserved buildings from that era.

In 1930, a competition was announced for the project of the Palace of Culture of the Proletarsky District, projects were provided by most of the architectural associations. No one was chosen as the winner, and the club's project was created by the brothers V.A. and A.A. Vesnin, who used the materials of the competition in their work.

Construction began in 1931 and continued until 1937. The place for the grandiose building was not chosen by chance - the territory of the Simonov Monastery. During the implementation of the project, several towers, part of the walls, the main temple were destroyed, during the working day Saturday work they demolished the cemetery, where representatives of famous noble families were buried. The construction of a workers' palace of culture on the site of an old cemetery had a clear ideological significance and symbolized the victory of the new revolutionary art over the "backward" religion, history, and memory.

In the course of the first stage of construction, by the year 33, a small theater building was built; in 1937, during the second stage, the club building was erected. The building covered with dark plaster has a large-scale, complex layout, but at the same time it is distinguished by integrity, dynamism and harmony. The Palace of Culture has several facades: a lateral one overlooking Vostochnaya Street, a northern one, in front of which there is a ceremonial square, and a park one with a semi-rotunda facing the river. The building will include a large foyer, a winter garden, an exhibition hall, scientific and technical rooms, a lecture and film and concert halls, a library, an observatory, and rooms for hobby groups.

The project, unfortunately, has not been fully implemented: the theater building, the park part (they wanted to turn the entire adjacent territory into a park with sports facilities), and a sports complex have not yet been built. But, nevertheless, even now the Palace of Culture makes a surprisingly holistic and positive impression. Despite the tragic past and the "unhappy" cemetery site, the fate of this constructivist monument was surprisingly good. Like many buildings of that time, it did not escape reconstruction (in the 40s, 50s and 70s), but these were those successful cases when the renovation did not greatly violate the general idea and style. For many years since its inception, the ZIL Palace of Culture has been actively functioning, a team of talented teachers has been working in it. It seems that the idea of ​​the creators has been successfully implemented and pleases us now, in a completely different era.

The following buildings were presented in the review:

1. House-commune (RZHSKT residential complex for construction workers). M. Barshch, V. Vladimirov, I. Milinis, A. Pasternak, S. Slavina, 1929. Gogolevsky Boulevard, 8 (metro Kropotkinskaya)

2. Mosselprom. D. Kogan, 1923-1924. Kalashny lane, 2/10 (M. Arbatskaya)

3. House-workshop. K. Melnikov, 1927-1929. Krivoarbatskiy lane, 17 (metro Smolenskaya)

4. Building of People's Commissariat for Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture. A. Shchusev, 1928-1932. st. Sadovaya-spasskaya, 11/1 (metro Krasnye Vorota)

5. Factory kitchen. A. Meshkov, 1928-1929. Leningradsky prospect, 7 (metro Belorusskaya)

6. Residential building of the People's Commissariat for Finance. M. Ginzburg, I. Milins, 1928-1930. Novinsky Boulevard, 25 (M. Barrikadnaya)

7. Mostorg. A., L. and V. Vesniny, 1929. Krasnaya Presnya, 48/2 (metro Street 1905)

8. Bakery No. 5. G. Marsakov, 1932. Khodynskaya, 2, bldg. 2 (metro Street 1905 Goda)

9. Bakhmetyevsky bus depot. K. Melnikov, 1926-1927. Obraztsova, 19 (metro Novoslobodskaya) - now there is the Garage gallery.

10. Intourist garage. K. Melnikov, 1934. Suschevsky Val, 33 (M. Savelovskaya)

11. Club them. Rusakova. K. Melnikov, 1927-1929. Stromynka, 6 (M. Sokolniki)

13. Palace of Culture of the automobile plant ZIL. A., L. and V. Vesnin, 1930-1937. Vostochnaya, 4 (metro Avtozavodskaya)

The rapid technological progress at the beginning of the last century gave rise to the latest trends in art and, as a result, a tendency to destroy traditional canons, to search for other forms and aesthetic principles. This is most clearly expressed in avant-garde - a complex of artistic phenomena of the first third of the 20th century. One of the many avant-garde trends was the constructivist style, which arose in the young Soviet power of the 1920s - 1930s. It is also called "industrial" or "building" art.

Areas of influence and distribution

Constructivism in painting is expressed too weakly, the direction is mainly associated with architecture, in which simple geometric forms and ultimate functionality are most characteristic. But the principles of constructivism, while pervasive and rapidly spreading, also had a significant impact on graphic, industrial design, photography, theater, film, dance, fashion, fiction and music of the period.

Soviet constructivism had a significant impact on the modern creative movements of the 20th century and not only within the Bolshevik country. The consequences of his influence can be traced in the main tendencies of the German Bauhaus school of design and the Dutch art movement De Stijl, in the work of masters from Europe and Latin America.

The emergence of the term

The term “art of construction” was first used as a sarcastic expression by Kazimir Malevich in 1917 to describe the work of Alexander Rodchenko. The term "constructivism" was coined by sculptors Antoine Pevsner and Naum Gabo. The latter developed an industrial, angular style of work, and his geometric abstraction owed something to Malevich's Suprematism. The term first appears in the "Realist Manifesto" by N. Gabo (1920), then as the title of the book by Alexei Gan (1922).

The birth and development of the movement

Among the many styles and trends in the visual arts, Constructivism was formed on the basis of Russian futurism, in particular, under the influence of the so-called "Counter-reliefs" (collages of different textures from various materials) by Vladimir Tatlin, exhibited in 1915. He was (like Kazimir Malevich) one of the pioneers of geometric abstract art, the founder of the avant-garde Suprematist movement.

The concept of a new direction was developed at the Moscow Institute of Artistic Culture (INHUK) in the period 1920 - 1922 by the first working group of constructivists. Lyubov Popova, Alexander Vesnin, Rodchenko, Varvara Stepanova, Alexey Gan, Boris Arvatov and, led by the first chairman of the group, Vasily Kandinsky, worked out the theoretical definition of constructivism as an inextricable combination of the main elements of industrial culture (structures, textures and specific material properties of an object with its spatial position) ...

Principles and Features

According to constructivism, art is a tool exclusively intended for the artistic design of everyday-utilitarian, practically applicable objects. The expressive laconic form of works, devoid of all kinds of "prettiness" and "embellishments", should be as functional as possible and designed for its convenient use in mass production (hence the term "industrial art").

The non-objectiveness of Kandinsky's sensory-emotional forms or the rational-abstract geometry of Malevich were reinterpreted by the constructivists and transformed into real-life spatial objects. This is how a new design of work clothes, fabric patterns, furniture, dishes and other consumer goods appeared, a characteristic of the Soviet era was born.

A special asceticism in the visual means of expression distinguishes this direction among similar styles, but in many respects generalizes it with rationalism. In addition to theoretical ideology, constructivism is distinguished by the following external properties:

1. Few tonal range within blue, red, yellow, green, black, gray and white. The colors were not necessarily locally pure, their tint muted variants were often used, but no more than 3-4 at a time.
2. Shapes and lines are expressive, simple, few in number, limited to vertical, horizontal, diagonal directions or the shape of a regular circle.
3. The contours of the objects give the impression of a monolithic structure.
4. There is a so-called "machine" aesthetics, which displays graphic or spatial engineering ideas, mechanisms, details, tools.

"The Art of Building and Productivity" by Tatlin

The key point of the direction was the model of Vladimir Tatlin, proposed for the construction of a monument to the Third International (1919 - 1920). The design had to combine the aesthetics of the machine with dynamic components that celebrated technologies such as floodlights and projection screens.

At this time, the work of Gabo and Pevsner on the "Realistic Manifesto", affirming the spiritual core of the movement, was coming to an end. Gabo publicly criticized Tatlin's project, saying: "Either create functional houses and bridges, or create pure art, or both at the same time." The idea of ​​erecting monuments that had no practical use was at odds with the utilitarian-adaptable version of constructivism. But at the same time, Tatlin's design fully reflected a new progressive idea of ​​the form, the materials used and the manufacturability of the creation. This caused serious controversy and controversy among the members of the Moscow group in 1920.

Artists in Germany proclaimed Tatlin's work revolutionary in international, not just Soviet, art. The drawings and photographs of the model were published in the Taut Fruhlicht magazine. The Tatlin Tower was the beginning of the exchange of creative ideas for the "art of building" between Moscow and Berlin. The monument was planned to be erected in Leningrad, but the plan was never implemented due to lack of money in the post-revolutionary period. Nevertheless, the image of the Tatlin Tower remained a kind of symbol of constructivism and the world avant-garde.

A talented self-taught artist, the founder of the movement, Tatlin was the first constructivist who tried to offer his design skills to industrial production: projects for an economical stove, workwear, furniture. It should be noted that these were very utopian ideas, like his tower and the "letatlin" flying machine, on which he worked until the 1930s.

Constructivism in painting

The very idea of ​​movement, which excludes pure art and any "prettiness", has already rejected painting as a form of creativity that is not capable of serving the utilitarian needs of the people. The new artist was proclaimed an engineer who creates things that must influence the mind and lifestyle of a person. The postulate "... not to decorate the walls with pictures, but to paint them ..." meant the dead end of easel painting - an element of bourgeois aesthetics.

Constructivist artists realized their potential in posters, design projects for industrial products, decoration of public spaces, sketches of fabrics, clothes, costumes and scenery for theater and cinema. Some, like Rodchenko, found themselves in the art of photography. Others, like Popova in her cycle of “Spatial-Power Constructions”, argued that their paintings are an intermediate stage on the way to engineering design.

Not fully embodied in painting, constructivism contributed to the development of the art of collage and spatial-geometric installations. The ideological source was Tatlin's "counter-reliefs" and El Lissitzky's "prototypes". The works, in essence, like easel painting, had no practical application, but looked like fantastic engineering developments and looked in the technogenic spirit of that time.

"Prouns"

Developed by the early twenties by the artist and architect El Lissitzky, the so-called projects of new art ("prouns") were abstract geometric compositions made in a pictorial, graphic form in the form of applications and three-dimensional architectonics. Many artists (not only Constructivists) in their painting of the 20s depicted such "prouns", which have remained abstract images. But many of Lissitzky's works were later implemented in projects of furniture, interior, theater design, or found embodiment as decorative and spatial installations.

Art in the service of agitation

In the mid 1920s - 1930s, a special style of posters from the Soviet era was established, which later became a separate section of design. It covered theatrical and film posters, commercial and industrial advertising. The followers of the movement, taking up Mayakovsky's dictum, called themselves "advertising constructors." In the same period, character was formed as one of the mechanisms of influence on the consciousness of the masses.

Constructivists were the first to use collage techniques for a poster in Russia, combining drawing, photography and elements of printed materials. The typeface, as well as the carefully thought out placement of the text, played a special artistic role and often resembled a laconic graphic ornament. The artistic methods of poster design developed in those years remained basic throughout the Soviet period.

Rodchenko's progressive photography

The discrepancy between the utilitarian ideas of constructivism in painting was contrasted with their embodiment in photography - a real reflection of life itself. The unique works of the multifaceted artist Alexander Rodchenko are recognized as masterpieces of this art form.

Sparing no consumables, he strove to capture each object or action in different conditions and from several angles. Impressed by the photomontage of German Dadaists, he was the first to use this technique in Russia. His debut, published in 1923, photomontage illustrated Mayakovsky's poem About This. In 1924, Rodchenko created what is probably his best-known poster photomontage, an advertisement for the Lengiz publishing house, sometimes called Books.

He revolutionized composition: his nature was shot in an amazingly picturesque manner and often resembles a rhythmic graphic pattern or abstraction. At the same time, his images are incredibly dynamic; in general, they can be characterized by the slogan: "Time, forward!" Rodchenko's works were also amazed by the fact that nature was often filmed from rather unusual angles, for which the photographer sometimes had to occupy simply dizzying positions.

Rodchenko's groundbreaking photographs have remained a classic model for future generations of photographers and have inspired many design creators. For example, the American conceptual artist Barbara Kruger owes her numerous works to Rodchenko. Variations of his photo portrait of Lilia Brik and the poster "The Sixth of the World" became the basis for the covers of music albums of foreign punk and rock bands.

Russian constructivism in world art

Some constructivists taught or lectured at the Bauhaus school, where some of the teaching methods of VKHUTEMAS were adopted and developed. Through Germany the stylistic principles "emigrated" to Austria, Holland, Hungary and other European countries. In 1930 - 1940, one of the leaders of the world avant-garde, Naum Gabo founded in England a variant of constructivism, which took root after the First World War in British architecture, design and various fields of artistic creation.

The creator of the constructivist movement in Ecuador, Manuel Rendon Seminari, and the artist from Uruguay, Joaquin Torres Garcia, played an important role in spreading the style in European, African, Latin American countries. Constructivism in painting is expressed in the works of contemporary Latin American artists: Osvaldo Viteri, Carlos Merida, Theo Constant, Enrique Tabara, Anibal Villac and other equally famous masters. Followers of constructivism also worked in Australia, the most famous of whom was the artist George Johnson.

Graphic design master Neville Brodie reproduced the style in the 1980s based on constructivist Soviet posters, and this aroused keen interest among connoisseurs of contemporary art. Nick Phillips and Ian Anderson in 1986 created the famous graphic design studio The Designers Republic in Sheffield, England, based on constructivist ideas. This strong company remains thriving today, especially in the direction of music logos and album covers.

Since the early thirties, when any progressive and avant-garde trends were banned in the Soviet country, constructivism continued to develop and influence world art abroad. Having lost its ideological basis, the style became the foundation for other directions, and its elements can be traced to this day in modern art, design and architecture.

Avant-garde art, which originated at the beginning of the last century, gained enormous scope in all European countries. Constructivism, which emerged in Soviet Russia, became one of its unique trends. This direction was completely subordinated to the needs of the people, supported by the new possibilities of machine production, which was expressed in architecture

The history of the formation of the style

The constructivist style arose at the beginning of the last century within the framework of art. Its homeland was Soviet Russia, however, it was spread in a number of other countries.

There is no consensus regarding the reasons for its occurrence. It is believed that constructivism began its development in the depths. Its main features and signs were finally formed by the first half of the 1930s. This trend opened not only new forms of expression of avant-garde art, it reflected new social transformations of society (this was especially pronounced in the USSR), prepared art for the use of new methods and materials.

The final formation of constructivism was made possible not so much due to the imminent decline as to an unprecedented scientific development.

Most of all, these changes have affected the domestic sphere. The transition to industrial production made it possible to create new household items - gramophones, radios, typewriters and electrical appliances that are not compatible with classical object aesthetics.

In the direct development of constructivism, two periods can be distinguished:

• Non-utilitarian, where constructivism was reduced to identifying the real structure of objects and things and fixing it in flat or volumetric forms. This direction was developed by Western masters and often manifested itself in the fine arts and sculpture.
• Applied is an emphatically practical constructivism aimed at creating the most functional and necessary objects and things. It is completely subordinated to the process of implementing communist ideas and is inherent mainly in Soviet countries.

As for the term constructivism, it was first used in the book of the same name by A.M. Ghana.

Style features

The main features of constructivism were manifested in the new aesthetics of the thing.

The main theoretical principles of this direction are set out in the works of the Viennese architect and publicist Adolf Loos, namely:

• Refusal from pretentious decorations and artistic excesses. He became the main idea of ​​the direction. This concerned both architecture and artistic and industrial practice.
• Refusal of ornaments and other decorative elements. This is especially evident in architecture. Houses in the style of constructivism were presented as a "single form" that did not require any decorations and decor, but Empire style.
• Intricate shapes of objects are losing their relevance. They are being replaced by more rational images.
• The main criterion for the aesthetic value of a thing is its expediency and the possibility of practical application. The desire for maximum rationality of forms was supported by the capabilities of machine production and implied a complete rejection of manual artistic decoration.
• Development of the art industry.
• The focus was not on the beauty of the item, but on its functionality. It was believed that the forms and decorations of things inherent in handicrafts were not appropriate in the age of machine production.

Architecture

The constructivist direction was widely used in Soviet architecture of the 20-30s of the last century.

The explosive development of industry, transport and the growth of cities did not correspond to the classic urban layout with narrow streets and artsy buildings. In this regard, constructivism aimed at maximum efficiency and made it possible to solve the problem of not only transport services, but also optimal settlement and maintenance of sanitary living conditions.

Residential complexes created during this period were focused on the needs of the middle and low-paid category of citizens and consisted of economical standard apartments.

Soviet constructivism assumed the development of not just a specific building or structure, universal quarters, streets and the principles of their combination were developed. The latter also included urban transport highways.

Constructivism in architecture often manifested itself in the use of fairly simple formal elements, completely devoid of any decor and ornaments. All parts of the building were connected in accordance with the plan for organizing the internal space, and their shape was determined directly by the purpose of the premises.

Even during the dominance of constructivism and other modernist trends in Soviet architecture, architects worked, relying on the architectural traditions of antiquity and.

It was also believed that the architect was obliged to think over not only the general concept of the building, but also the placement of signs, clocks, elevator shafts and loudspeakers, which were also relied on as part of the architectural image.

The Soviet constructivists, who became the progenitors of the style, directed their efforts towards solving two problems - designing an exemplary socialist city and creating communal apartment buildings for workers.

Moreover, the jurisdiction of the architects began to include not only residential buildings, but also department stores, workers' clubs, printing houses, sanatoriums, factories, factories, power plants, and so on.

The city of Yekaterinburg is of particular importance in the history of Russian constructivism. During the period of rapid construction of the first Soviet five-year plans, constructivism was recognized as the country's official architectural style. By a happy coincidence, a whole group of talented architects practiced during this period in Yekaterinburg. The latter, thanks to the total development of the city, were able to bring to life even the most unpredictable ideas. So Yekaterinburg acquired 140 unique buildings. No other city in the world can boast of such a concentration of architectural monuments.

Constructivism, as one of the directions, became widespread not only within the USSR, but also in a number of other states.

So the Eiffel Tower, erected at the World Exhibition in Paris, became a vivid example of constructive architecture.

Eiffel Tower, Paris

Interior features

The interior of the houses was in constructivism styles and fully corresponded to the main features of the direction and included the following features:

• well-defined frame and compact shapes;
• the absence of any riddles and secrets - each object performed exclusively the functions assigned to it.

Constructivism assumed the creation of spacious overall premises, the use of walls and partitions was minimized. Sometimes movable screens were used for zoning rooms. The decor lacked any sophistication - ornaments, stucco decorations. The main colors were white, black, gray, metallic, red and yellow. Although constructivism denied decor, however, it was allowed to create small accents through the use of bright coatings or lighting. Walls and ceilings were often finished with plain plaster or paint. As a floor covering, parquet board. As for the furniture, the main requirements for it were convenience and functionality. Such furniture often had a pronounced frame and regular geometric outlines.

Sculpture

Within the framework of the development of the constructivist direction, sculpture also received considerable development. In the early 1920s, Soviet constructivists formed the Institute of Artistic Culture (INHUK), uniting sculptors, architects, artists and art critics. Constructivist sculpture proceeded from the concept of constructing forms, based on the expression of internal structural connections between the geometric elements of the composition and the combination of various textured materials.

At this stage, the sculpture was abstract. So instead of depicting familiar human characters, the craftsmen used intricate geometric designs. The purpose of the demonstration of the latter was to amaze the audience, to form the transition from image to construction.

The activities of N. Gabo and N. Pevzner played a special role in the formation of constructivist sculpture.

Gabo is known for his experiments in spatial plasticity (heads of planes), while Pevzner became famous for the creation of non-objective cubic compositions. The purpose of these works was to identify the shape and texture of objects. Later, Gabo formed the "Realistic Manifesto", reflecting the concept of shaping that was formed in those years, and contained the following provisions:

• reality is the highest beauty;
• negation of color, the depth of the composition was achieved due to textures and tone;
• denial of the descriptive nature of the lines, they were perceived as the direction of forces hidden in the composition;
• denial of volume, depth was recognized as a measure of space;
• denial of mass in sculpture. It was believed that volume can be constructed from planes.
• denial of static composition.

There are probably no more Soviet symbols than the famous sculpture "Worker and Collective Farm Woman" and, of course, Lenin's Mausoleum - monuments of constructivism. And although this grandiose style did not reign in the minds and hearts for long, its scope, fundamental nature and spiritualized rationality are associated with the Soviet era much more strongly than the “Stalinist” Empire style and “Khrushchev’s” industrial buildings.

From Europe to the Union: the history of the constructivist style

Despite the fact that constructivism is most often called the architectural method that arose within the framework of avant-garde in the first Soviet years, it originated earlier, and not in the Soviet Union, which did not exist then ...
The pavilions for the first World Exhibition, held in 1851 in London, and the Eiffel Tower are called the forerunners of architectural constructivism. But the term itself - constructivism - was proposed to the world by Soviet artists and architects.
The 1920s were a period of struggle between old and new, traditional and revolutionary, a time of searching for innovative forms and concepts. Those who were the first to call themselves constructivists called for abandoning art for the sake of art, arguing that the latter is obliged to create purely useful things and serve production. The task of the new architecture, they proclaimed, was "the communist expression of material values."

This is how impressive buildings in the style of Soviet constructivism- giant houses of culture, trade union palaces, kitchen factories, residential complexes.

The difference between constructivism and similar styles

It is clear, you say, but how did this Soviet constructivism differ from other minimalist movements, for example, from functionalism? He, after all, also preaches the utmost practicality and simplicity of presentation.
Perhaps the main difference lies in the fact that the constructivists tried to combine the high functionality of buildings with artistic expressiveness. This was achieved not due to decorative elements, but due to forms and materials.

Conceptual features of constructivism:

1. solidity (even very large buildings, broken into fragments, are perceived as a whole);
2. segmentation (houses often consist of sections that go one into the other);
3. a greater variety of forms than is inherent in functionalism. Of course, the Constructivists did not offer anything pretentious, but there was definitely a game with the shapes: the squares of the walls flowed into the cylinders of the balconies, the parallelepipeds into the cubes and projections of the stairs.

In addition to the listed features, flat roofs, elongated windows, and massive pillars are also typical of Soviet buildings built by constructivists.

If we talk about ideological differences, then they can be formulated as follows: in general, he uses simple materials and scanty forms because he puts convenience at the fore, and constructivists also because they see beauty in it.

Materials and style palette

Concrete and glass are the main "elements" from which most of all buildings emerged in the spirit of constructivism. Later, metal, plastic and other modern raw materials joined them.

As for paints, the most common colors of constructivism are:

• light gray,
• slate,
• White,
• beige,
• Dark red,
• red brown.

The buildings of this genre are characterized by a muted and even tone. And the additional color is brought by the shine of metal and glass.

Oblivion and return of the ideas of constructivism

Even in the 1920s, the peak of the heyday of avant-garde movements and mass sympathies was not won by constructivism. Spears of criticism flew at him from those who defended, originating in ancient times, and from those who argued the superiority of other, no less new architectural ideas.

Soon, however, the dispute ended: the rhythmic, strict lines characteristic of constructivism were suddenly declared bourgeois formalism ... And romantic, but austere, utopian, but rational, proletarian asceticism was replaced by buildings, the style of which was later called Soviet neoclassicism and "Stalinist" empire style.

The renewed constructivism returned in the 70s, in the years of the next “fight against excesses”. Well, the third advent of this style took place recently, at the beginning of the current century. Yes, constructivism is relevant again, and not in the city, but outside it.

Modern constructivism: exterior features

Its successor today is considered to be Scandinavian country architecture, and the style is called so - Scandinavian constructivism.

Laconic geometry and high purposefulness inherent in constructivism are intertwined today with naturalness, naturalness, an abundance of light and space.

Due to the external simplicity, such houses organically and effectively fit into any landscape, any natural environment. They do not focus solely on themselves, thanks to which trees, a pond or a hillock that are nearby do not become secondary, but beautifully frame the building and continue it.

Modern constructivism is not only experiments with shapes and lines, but environmental friendliness and high energy efficiency of construction and finishing resources, the widespread use of the latest techniques, as well as a large glazing area.

Wood is no longer prohibited, as are stone, ceramic tiles, expanded clay panels, facing bricks of a strict form, as well as the newest materials. By the way, they should not only be of high quality and catchy texture, but also tactilely pleasant in order to give the household maximum comfort.

Wide, no-nonsense verandas and terraces (including those on flat roofs), panoramic windows and even whole glass walls that create the illusion of merging with nature; gray, black and white, restrained range - this is the language of modern constructivism.

The exterior decor of such houses is, first of all:

• dynamics and combination of strict, vertical and horizontal lines;
• variety of segments - windows, terraces and awnings;
• chasing, expressiveness of entrance portals;
• finish texture, moderate glare of glass;
• contrast of light and dark tones, white plaster and, for example, dark gray stone.