The following articles focus on the history, origins, and influences of the Constructivism art movement.
A Brief History of Constructionism - Christies
Constructivism Brought the Russian Revolution to the Art World
Russian Constructivism - The True Vanguard Art Movement
Constructivism - Encyclopedia of Visual Art
Who Were the Constructivists? - Sotheby's
These articles, while general, also include a more specific focus on Constructivist artists and artworks .
Constructivism, Part I - Khan Academy
Constructivism, Part II - Khan Academy
What Was Constructivism? Building the Future through Art
The Constructivist Tradition [Sculpture - Britannica]
Constructivism - Critical Studies
Significant artists of the Constructivism movement.
Russian Constructivism and Graphic Design
Includes: Alexander (Aleksandr) Rodchenko; El (Lazar Markovich) Lissitzky; Georgii Stenberg; Vladimir Stenberg
Learn more about Constructivism with the following audio and video resources.
Constructivism: Giving Shape to the Everyday (Leonard A. Lauder Lecture Series on Modern Art, Art x Architecture: Russian Intersections 1917–37, Part 2) [video; 1 hour 19 minutes] - The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Tune in as architect, historian, and curator Jean-Louis Cohen discusses the radical changes that affected Russian art and architecture during the twenty years following the Bolshevik Revolution. During this evening’s lecture, titled “Constructivism: Giving Shape to the Everyday,” Professor Cohen will consider the period between 1923 and 1930, when building activity resumed following the civil war and Russian artists and architects collaborated closely in educational institutions, such as Moscow’s Vkhutemas, where Alexander Rodchenko and El Lissitzky both taught.
Constructivism and the Art of Everyday Life [audio] - The TATE
The past TateModern conference, Constructivism and Everyday Life, exploring issues raised by the Rodchenko & Popova exhibition.
Russian Constructivist Art, 1973 [audio; Part 1 (23 minutes); Part 2 (24 minutes)] - The Guggenheim
Mimi Poser discusses Russian Constructivism with art historian Charlotte Weidler and Guggenheim curator Linda Konheim.
"The Constructivist Tradition in Contemporary Sculpture" by George Rickey, 1967 [audio; 54 minutes] - The Guggenheim
Artist George Rickey discusses the Constructivist tradition in contemporary sculpture. An influential sculptor known for his kinetic works, Rickey was also a scholar and professor of sculpture at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. This event took place on October 29, 1967, in conjunction with Guggenheim International Exhibition, 1967: Sculpture from Twenty Nations (1967–68).
For more information, try researching some other artists of the Constructivism movement.
Varvara Stepanova - Obelisk Art History
Katarzyna Kobro - Explore the Life of This Avant-Garde Polish Sculptor - Art in Context
Biographies of Antoine Pevsner:
Antoine Pevsner - Britannica Schools
Antoine Pevsner - University of Chicago
Antoine Pevsner: A lifetime of experimentation - GreyScape
Antoine Pevesnr: The Constructivist Sculptor of Kinetic Rhythms
A pioneer of kinetic art, Antoine Pevsner's constructivist sculptures are characterised by the use of funnel shapes, and convex and concave forms. Take a closer look at his artistic style.
Antoine Pevsner - Sculptures [video; 12 minutes]
See Pevsner's works via Obelisk Art History, and Artnet; as well as at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Princeton University Art Museum, Christie's, and The Tate. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.
Biographies of El Lissitzky:
El Lissitzky - Britannica Schools (for basic overview see: El Lissitzky (Middle))
El Lissitzky - Google Arts and Culture
El Lissitzky - WahooArt (scroll down past the artworks to see the biography)
El Lissitzky - Encyclopedia of Visual Artists
El Lissitzky: Russian Painter, Typographer, and Designer (Overview and Artworks) - The Art Story
An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to: a full biography; his artistic legacy, progression, and influences; important artworks; and additional resources, including books, websites, and articles.
Although many of these resources also contain biographical information, there is a significant focus on Lissitzky's works, artistic progression and style.
El Lissitzky - Totally History
El Lissitzky - Utopia/Dystopia: Examining Art of the WWI Era
Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge
El Lissitzky, the Avant-Garde, and the Russian Revolution
Modern Trends: Constructivism [focus on El Lissitzky and his Aero Proun]
See Lissitzky's works via Obelisk Art History; as well as at the Tate and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.
Prior to his involvement with Constructivism, El Lissitzky was a student of Suprematism. Check the Suprematism LibGuide page to discover more about Lissitzky's Suprematist works.
Biographies of Vladimir Tatlin:
Vladimir Tatlin - Britannica Schools
Vladimir Tatlin - Wahoo Art (scroll down past the artworks to read the biography)
Vladimir Tatlin - Utopia / Dystopia: Examining Art of the WWI Era
Vladimir Tatlin: Russian Architect, Painter, and Sculptor (Overview and Artworks) - The Art Story
An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to: a full biography; his artistic legacy, progression, and influences; important artworks; and additional resources, including books, websites, articles, video-clips, and more.
A founder of Constructivism, Vladimir Tatlin is one of the most well-known Constructivist artists, believing strongly in a functional purpose for art. Use these resources to discover more about Tatlin and his works, particularly his most famous piece: Monument to the Third International, also known as "Tatlin's Tower."
Monument to the Third International
Vladimir Tatlin: 'Monument to the Third International'
Tatlin's Tower - The Khan Academy
Tatlin: New Art for a New World [exhibition - Museum Tinguely]
Vladimir Tatlin Retrospective at Museum Tinguely in Basel [video: 5 minutes] (exhibition preview)
Six part article series: Exhibition of Russian-Soviet artist Vladimir Tatlin in Basel
Tatlin's "new art for a new world"
An interview with Roland Wetzel, director of the Museum Tinguely
WSWS arts editor David Walsh on Vladimir Tatlin and the October Revolution
Interview with Dmitrii Dimakov, expert on Tatlin’s work
An interview with Gian Casper Bott, curator of the Tatlin exhibition
Related video: Salon | Art History | Tatlin: New Art for a New World (Simon Baier, Critic and Art Historian, in conversation with Gian Casper Bott, Art Historian and Curator of the Tatlin Exhibition, Museum Tinguely, Basel [41 minutes])
An interview with Anna Szech, art historian at the Museum Tinguely
Counter-Relief (1913) [Formalism II: Truth to Materials (Constructivism and the Bauhaus) - The Khan Academy]
See Tatlin's works via Arthive, Wahoo Art and Totally History. Click on an artwork to take a closer look.
Biographies of Alexander Rodchenko:
Aleksandr Mikhailovich Rodchenko - Britannica Schools (for basic overview see: Alexander Rodchenko (Middle))
Alexander Rodchenko - Google Arts and Culture
Alexander Rodchenko - Wahoo Art (scroll down past the artworks to read the biography)
Alexander Rodchenko - Utopia / Dystopia: Examining Art of the WWI Era
An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to: a full biography; his artistic legacy, progression, and influences; important artworks; and additional resources, including books, websites, articles, and video-clips.
As a founder of Constructivism Alexander Rodchenko was instrumental in the development of Russian modernism in the areas of painting, photography and graphic design. Take a closer look at Rodchenko's works, artistic influences and style.
Aleksandr Rodchenko's Lines of Force
Alexander Rodchenko, At the Telephone
Spatial Construction No.12. c.1920 [audio 1 minute 35 seconds]
Aleksandr Rodchenko [MOMA] : The following resources were created as part of the Museum of Modern Art's retrospective of Rodchenko's work. Use the interactive exhibition website to explore the artist's history, works, and chronology.
For further reading: Aleksandr Rodchenko by Magdalena Dabrowski
Rodchenko & Popova: Defining Constructivism [TATE] : This exhibition explores the work of Aleksandr Rodchenko and Liubov Popova between 1917 and 1929, two of Constructivism's most influential and important artists.
Audio: Part 1 [12 minutes] ; Part 2 [67 minutes]
See Rodchenko's works via Obelisk Art History, Wahoo Art, and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.
Biographies of Naum Gabo:
Naum Gabo - Britannica Schools
Naum Gabo - Encyclopedia of Sculpture
An overview of the artist and his accomplishments. This page also includes links to: a full biography; his artistic legacy, progression, and influences; important artworks; and additional resources, including books, articles, video-clips, and more.
A pioneer of the movement, Naum Gabo cowrote the 'Realist Manifesto' which laid out the basic principles of Constructivism. In following these beliefs, particularly the greater emphasis on use of 'space', many of Gabo's works were created from transparent materials such as glass and plastic. Take a closer look at Gabo's artistic beliefs, development, and works throughout his life.
Four Principles Behind Naum Gabo's Art
Why Naum Gabo Was Instrumental for 20th Century Sculpture
The Impermanence of Constructivist Sculpture
Constructions for Real Life - Exhibition Guide
[related article: Naum Gabo: Constructions for Real Life]
Naum Gabo, Translucent Variation on Spheric Theme, 1937 (reconstructed 1951) [includes audio: 1 minutes 25 seconds]
Construction in Space: Two Cones 1936, Replica 1968 [Lost Art: Naum Gabo] - TATE
Naum Gabo (Construction in Space) [Abstract Sculptures - Looking at Famous Sculpture Artists and Their Work] - Art in Context
Naum Gabo's Constructivist Ballet [includes video: 3 minutes, 20 seconds]
Naum Gabo - Sculptures [video; 13 minutes, 5 seconds]
Many of Gabo's sculptures degraded over time due to the material used to create them - unstable and fragile plastics. Learn about what the TATE is doing to help preserve his artistic vision.
Degradation of Naum Gabo’s Plastic Sculpture: The Catalyst for the Workshop
Tate Sculpture Replica Project
Naum Gabo and the Quandaries of the Replica
See Gabo's works at the TATE, National Galleries Scotland, and Christies. Click on an artwork to discover more about it.
Check out the Kinetic Art information box to investigate another of Gabo's well-known works: Kinetic Construction (Standing Wave).
50 Art Ideas You Really Need to Know by
The ultimate guide to the most important ideas in art through the ages
Abstract Art by
This work rejects the view that abstraction can be traced as a succession of stylistic trends, each set within its particular art- historical context. It offers readings of specific paintings by such artists as Kasimir Malevich, Naum Gabo, Piet Mondrian and Jackson Pollock.
Art and Text by
The use of both word and image in artistic practice has become a defining feature of contemporary art. From typographers to easel painters to video artists, text has become a larger part of artistic practice ever since Modernism, with practitioners pushing the boundaries of their discipline to incorporate an increasing variety of expression and meaning. Organised thematically, Art and Text investigates the use of text in contemporary artistic practice, showcasing the most innovative and groundbreaking examples of how word and image have come to occupy the same artistic terrain in contemporary art. With accessible essays on the relationship between word and image, Art and Text showcases some of the most interesting work from a cross-section of well-and lesser-known artists from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Featuring the work of contemporary artists: Cy Twombly, famous for his calligraphic style graffiti; Stefan Sahmeister, who has produced album covers for the likes of the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith and Lou Reed; Robert Indiana, best known for his LOVE print, since made into a sculpture installed in several locations across the world; as well as Raymond Pettibon, Roy Lichtenstein, Barbara Kruger, Bruce Nauman and Duane Michals. The influence of particular Modernist artists will also be considered such as Man Ray, Margritte and Picasso. Art and Text is a comprehensive, lavishly illustrated and timely review of the influence of language on art. ILLUSTRATIONS: 400 colour & b/w
Artspeak by
Discusses the terms, movements, and major artists in the modern American and European art world.
A History of 20th-Century Art by
Here is a fresh, exhilarating approach to the history of twentieth-century art. Rejecting the year-by-year sequential approach of conventional accounts, author Bernard Blistene tackles the subject thematically, using key works as a springboard to understanding the ideas and techniques of the major artists of the century. The book encompasses the visual arts in the broadest sense of the term. In addition to painting, sculpture and the new art forms of the postwar era, it covers architecture, photography, industrial design and video. Each chapter treats a different theme-- from Fauvism to film, Dada to design-- providing: * a general overview of the movement or period in question* numerous illustrations of particular works, each accompanied by brief explanatory texts* chronologies detailing important events within and around the world of art* bibliographies and suggested museum visits for each movement. With over 500 illustrations, "A History of 20th-Century Art provides a lucid and compelling introduction to artistic creation in the last century.
Modern Art by
An introduction to modern art which covers most developments in the visual arts in the last hundred years. The texts written by art historians are up-to-date in approach and are supplemented by chronologies and bibliographies. Includes a gallery of 20th century art with an informed survey of the period.
Sculpture Since 1945 by
Since 1945 the modern revolution in sculpture has gathered pace, and even the term sculpture has ceased to be the fixed category it once was. In Sculpture Since 1945, Andrew Causey provides a ground-breaking account of the development of post-War sculpture. In over 130 beautiful illustrations, Causey examines innovative and avant-garde works in relation to contemporary events, festivals, commissions, the marketplace, and the changing functions of museums. He also explores the use of everyday objects and the importance of sculptural context, discussing figurative and non-figurative works, Anti-form, Minimalism, experimental form, Earth art, landscape sculpture, installation, and performance art. A final chapter brings the discussion of sculpture right up to the present day by examining sculpture since 1980. The holistic picture of post-War sculpture which emerges in Sculpture Since 1945 establishes for the first time key events and themes around which future debate will center.
“We repudiate: the millennial error inherited from Egyptian Art: static rhythms seem as the sole elements of plastic creation. We proclaim a new element in plastic arts: the kinetic rhythms, which are essential forms of our perception of real time.” (Realistic Manifesto - Pevsner & Gabo)
The origins of Kinetic Art can be found in Realistic Manifesto (as above) co-written in 1920 by Antoine Pevsner and Naum Gabo and the principles of Constructivism can bee seen in many of their early exploration into the movement. Fellow Constructivist artists Vladimir Tatlin and Alexander Rodchenko also produced works of Kinetic Art.
Use these resources to discover more about Kinetic Art, as well as notable works and artists.
Kinetic Art - Google Arts and Culture
Kinetic Art - Encyclopedia of Art History
Kinetic Art - The Art Story (includes history of the movement, key concepts, artworks, and artists, as well as additional useful resources)
What is a Kinetic Sculpture? The 3 Characteristics of One
The Most Important Traits of Kinetic Art
Top 10 Kinetic Art Artists and Pioneers
Constructing the Kinetic Art Movement: Sculptures and Mobiles [Kinetic Art - An Overview of this moving Art Term] (this section looks at Naum Gabo, Vladimir Tatlin, Alexander Rodchenko, and Alexander Calder)
The Evolution of Hypnotic Kinetic Sculptures
The World We See – Part 6: Art that Moves, in More Ways than One (the relevant section discussing Naum Gabo is the first part of this article)
Kinetic Construction (Standing Wave) - Naum Gabo
This sculpture by Naum Gabo is considered one of the first examples of Kinetic Art.
Learn more about Naum Gabo with these audio resources from the TATE and the Guggenheim.
Naum Gabo: Discovering the Archive - TATE [54 minutes]
Art historian Christina Lodder introduces Gabo through his correspondence, writings, sketches and models, followed by a viewing of works in the Prints and Drawings Rooms and an exploration of the Archive.
Emigré Artists and their Archives: Naum Gabo and his Contemporaries - TATE
When Naum Gabo left Russia in 1922, he did not know that he would never return. Like many of his contemporaries, circumstances forced him to move from his new home in Berlin to Paris, London and Cornwall, before finally settling in the United States.
Visions of a New World: Naum Gabo and the Russian Avant-Garde, introduction by Susan Hirschfeld / Charlotte Douglas - Guggenheim [43 minutes 27 seconds]
Naum Gabo Rediscovered: Revelations on a Constructivist Pioneer, introduction by Susan Hirschfeld / Stephen Nash
The second of two lectures given in conjunction with the Naum Gabo exhibition.
(or read the transcript here)