Constructivism, initiated by Vladimir Tatlin in Russia around 1913, was an artistic and architectural philosophy that sought to express modern life through dynamic forms and materials. Characterized by the application of 3D cubism, constructivism integrated modern technology and the socio-political ethos of communism, focusing on construction over traditional composition. Tatlin envisioned radical structures, including a monumental building in St. Petersburg that would have surpassed the Eiffel Tower, symbolizing the relationship between art and the goals of the communist revolution.

1. Not the old. Not the new, but the necessary.
- Vladimir Tatlin

2. Constructivism was an artistic and architectural
philosophy that originated in Russia beginning in 1913
after the World War 1 by Vladimir Tatlin.
The seed of constructivism was a desire to express the
experience of modern life - in dynamism, in new and
disorienting qualities of space and time.
It sought to abolish the traditional artistic concern with
composition and replace it with ‘construction’.
Constructivist architecture is characterised by a combination of modern technology and
engineering methods and the socio-political ethos of Communism.

3. ● The main characteristic of constructivism was the application
of 3D cubism to abstract and non-objective elements.
● The style incorporated straight lines, cylinders, cubes and
rectangles; and merged elements of the modern age such
as radio antennae, tension cables, concrete frames and
steel girders.
● Modern materials were also explored, such as steel frames
that supported large areas of glazing, exposed rather than
concealed building joints, balconies and sun decks.
Hammer and Sickle Building
● The style aimed to explore the opposition
between different forms and surfaces,
predominately between solid walls and
windows, which are often gave the
structures their characteristic sense of
scale and presence.

4. "In the squares and in the streets we are placing our work convinced that art
must not remain a sanctuary for the idle, a consolation for the weary, and a
justification for the lazy. Art should attend us everywhere that life flows and
acts."
● Vladimir Tatlin was central to the birth of Russian Constructivism.
Often described as a "laboratory Constructivist," he took lessons
learned from Pablo Picasso's Cubist reliefs and Russian Futurism,
and began creating objects that sometimes seem poised between
sculpture and architecture.
● .He wanted above all to bend art to modern purposes and,
ultimately, to tasks suited to the goals of Russia's Communist
revolution.

5. ● One of the first buildings conceived entirely in
abstract terms. Which was planned to construct
in St.Petersburg after bolshevik revolution,1917.
● It consisted of a leaning spiral iron framework
supporting a glass cylinder, a glass cone, and a
glass cube, each of which could be rotated at
different speeds.
● The monument’s interior would have contained
halls for lectures, conferences, and other
activities.
● The monument was to be the world’s tallest
structure—more than 1,313 feet (400 metres)
tall. It would have dwarfed the Eiffel tower in
Paris.

6. The Nude(1911)-
Elements of Cubism, like
distorted perspective and the
breaking down of forms into
planes, but it is not a Cubist
picture.
The Fishmonger (1911)-
Here, Tatlin employs curvilinear lines and
rounded forms, and predominantly a
palette of three colors.
The Sailor(self-portrait)(1911)
Tatlin portray his youthful experience as a sailor.
The separate, almost architectonic parts of the
face foreshadow elements of the revolutionary
Constructivist movement, which he led.

7. Sources
● https://www.m.theartstory.org/artist-tatlin-vladimir-artworks.htm
● https://www.flickr.com/
● https://www.britannica.com/art/Constructivism-art
● https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Constructivist_architecture
● https://www.flickr.com/photos/32357038@N08/3815861569