A glance prerequisite to Suprematism art movement and Constructivist

Art and Architecture

“I felt only night within me and it was then that I conceived the new art, which I called Suprematism.”

In Russia the art movement of suprematism was discovered by Kasimir Malveich in about 1915-1916, that was focusing
on fundamental geometric form (in particular square and circle), Malevich had exhibited his works in Donkey’s Tail, Der
Blaue Reiter, and in 1912 with cubo futurist group, it was a proliferation of new artistic forms in painting, poetry and
theatre as well as a revival of interest in the traditional folk art of Russia provided a rich environment in which a modernist
culture was born. His famous works of Black Square and Black Circle, in 1913, and also in about the same time he
painted white on white painting, which alleviate his ingenuity to add from polychrome toward monochrome suprematism.
His legacy was not only on paintings but it was moved further on he was designing a sets and costume for Victory over
the sun opera production, futurist group event, in 1913. Because of this simplicity they able to signify a new beginning,
his works mainly influenced by mathematician, philosopher, Georges Gurdjieff, P.D. Ouspensky who wrote ‘a fourth
dimension beyond the three to our ordinary senses have access. The works exemplifies that form was transforming
through time, as it clearly shown in the title of two dimensional painted masses in the state of movement. Within its
development, there was a cross over with constructivism movement almost in the same time, Nikolai Suetin used
Suprematist motifs on works at the St. Petersburg Lomonosov Porcelain Factory where Malevich and Chashnik were
also employed, and Malevich designed a Suprematist teapot. The Suprematists also made architectural models in the
1920’s which offered a different conception of socialist buildings to those developed in Constructivist architecture.

Malevich's architectural projects were known after 1922 Arkhitektoniki. Designs emphasized the right angle, with
similarities to De Stijl and Le Corbusier, and were justified with an ideological connection to communist governance and
equality for all. This development in artistic expression was when Russia in a revolutionary state and the works replacing
the old order. As the new order became established, from 1924 on the state began limiting the freedom of artists. From
the late 1920’s the Russian avant-garde experienced direct and harsh criticism from the authorities and in 1934 the
doctrine of Socialist Realism became official policy, and prohibited abstraction and divergence of artistic expression.
Malevich nevertheless retained his main conception. In his self-portrait of 1933 he started to represent himself in a
traditional way, the only way permitted by the current cultural policy, but signed the picture with a tiny black-over-white
square.

In the other side of coin of avant-garde movement, the constructivist architecture was flourished in early 1920’s and
1930’s which avowedly served for social communist purpose, it has been marked as the important notion of architecture
development onwards, although the group was ended in 1932. It has started from the constructivist art and Russian
futurism movement, which constructivist art has attempted to apply 3 dimensional cubist vision to a wholly abstract non-
objective ‘constructions’ with a kinetic element. In 1917 after Russian revolution, two threads were emerged as the
space and rhythm, and also representing the struggle between pure art and productivists like Rodchenko, Stepanova,
and Vladimir Tatlin which emphasized the idea that art should be emerged into industrial production. They were splitted
into two groups, which For example, Tatlin’s Tower, proposal in St.Petersburg, Though it remained unbuilt, the
materials—glass and steel—and its futuristic ethos and political slant (the movements of its internal volumes were meant
to symbolize revolution and the dialectic) set the tone for the projects of the 1920’s. During Russian Civil war, the
objective of non-objective abstract form has to serve more into utilitarian formal aims, which creates the Constructivist
cities by Kasimir Malevich and El Lissitzky, dynamic city, it often demonstrating the adaptation of high tech. Western
forms, for new collective society. Under leadership of Nikolai Ladovsky, Vkhutemas avant grade school, and a group
called ASNOVA (Association of New Architects, leading toward daring experiments and reflecting and interest in gestalt
psychology, yet functional and fantastic. ASNOVA was affiliated with Vladimir Krinsky, Berthold Lubetkin, El Lissitzky,
Konstantin Melnikov. A lot of representation of images concept and several visions were remain unbuilt, but it gives the
long term perspective which might predict of what might happened in the future.

“the real emancipation of women and real communism begins with the mass struggle against these petty household chores and the true reforming of the
mass into a vast socialist household” Lenin, 1919.

As it was promoted by the situation during that particular period, OSA group which ties with Vkhutemas, which has the
main purpose for inventing collective housing that will serve as a social condenser. Ladovsky, rationalist leader, designed
his own, rather different kind of mass housing, for example he completed Moscow apartment block in 1929. A
particularly extravagant example is the 'Chekists Village' in Yekaterinburg designed by I. Antonov, V. Sokolov and A.
Tumbasov, a hammer and sickle shaped collective housing complex for members of the secret police, which currently
served as a hotel.
Outside the USSR, Constructivism has often been seen as an alternative or more radical modernism and its legacy can
be seen in designers as diverse as Team 10, Archigram, Kenzo Tange, and Brutalist work. Their integration of the avant-
garde and everyday life has parallels with the Situationists, particularly the New Babylon project of Guy Debord and
Constant Nieuwenhuys.

Recent architecture owes a lot of exert efforts from Constructivism, which is often exemplified in Richard Rogers’ Lloyd's
building, early Zaha Hadid's projects were observed and represented from Malevich's and Chernikhov, which we could
see from her drawings. Deconstructivism almost having the same energy with Constructivism, but rather without the
social aspect concern, for example work of Coop Himmelblau. In the late 70’s Rem Koolhaas criticized the trajectory of
Constructivism called The Story of the Pool, of what Constructivists was doing to escape from the USSR to a self-
powering Modernist swimming pool, only to die, which nowadays many of the original Constructivist buildings are not
being preserved or it might be demolished at anytime.

Notes: All references are taken from http://en.wikipedia.org