Who We Are: Manifesto of the Constructivist Group - Assignment Example

“Who We Are: Manifesto of the Constructivist Group” The text chosen in Helen Armstrong’s Graphic design theory: Readings from the field will be “Who We Are: Manifesto of the Constructivist Group”. The artist chosen is Aleksandr Rodchenko. Out of Rodchenko’s work two really stood out. His ad Lengiz – Books in all Branches of Knowledge and Cover design for the journal of the Left Front of the Arts (LEF) no. 2 are masterpieces of graphic design. The use of black and red with traces of blue and tan on the posters make each stand out. The early propagandist posters of the Russian Revolution have always been an interest. The Constructivists used their graphic designs to help Lenin win the Russian Revolution. The graphic art of this time was just as important as the soldiers fighting the battles. It caused the Russian people to revolt against the monarchy that had been in place for centuries. The persuasive graphic art is an example of the pen being mightier than the sword. “Who We Are: Manifesto of the Constructivist Group” by Aleksandr Rodchenko, Varvara Stephanova, and Alexsei Gan is a declaration against art for the sake of art. The Constructivists believed graphic design and art should be functional. The group wanted to ‘construct’ art that served a purpose. The ending of Imperial Russia and the beginning of the Soviet Union greatly impacted the Constructivists. Art was for the former Romanov government. The new Communist government did not need art, but something that was functional. Aleksandr Rodchenko and his wife and partner, Varvara Stephanova, begin the Constructivist Group during a chaotic time for the Russian people. A small percentage of Russians at the beginning of the 20th century were rich. These people included royalty and a few others. The rest of the Russian people were peasants. The peasants had to do all the work for the royalty and the rich. While the rich lived well off, the peasants were starving from giving all their crops to the rich. As a result the Russian people started listening to the views of a German named Karl Marx. Marx’s views were every individual should work to the best of their abilities. The fruits of the societies labor would be split evenly. For Rodchenko, whose parents were laborers, the Communist way of thinking enflamed his imagination. His graphic designs showed the influence of Marxism. As the Russian Revolution gained momentum, Rodchenko became an adamant Communist. Rodchenko’s “Who We Are: Manifesto of the Constructivist Group” was modeled after the Communist Manifesto. Rodchenko felt “work of the old art world as shamefully elitist and ego driven (Armstrong 9). He wanted to create art inspired by functional and minimal elements. In the beginning of the Russian Revolution, Rodchenko was a painter (Armstrong 22). As his Communist beliefs became more clear, Rodchenko became a assembler or a Constructivist. He started to use the bare minimum in Communist posters. Geometric lines, shapes, bold block lettering, along with red, black, and white colors created a minimal look with the maximum impact. One example of Rodchenko’s work is Lengiz – Books in all Branches of Knowledge. This poster is an advertisement for Leningrad Department of Guidant (State Publishing House). The advertisement is below: (Rodchenko 1925). This image has a circle with straight geometrical lines. The black and white emphasize the woman yelling her message is a powerful tool. “Who We Are: Manifesto of the Constructivist Group” defines this style. In this declaration, Rodchenko reaffirms the values and intentions of the Constructivists. The first paragraph states: We don’t feel obliged to build Pennsylvania Stations, skyscrapers, Handley Page Tract houses, turbo compressors, and so on. We didn’t create technology. We didn’t create man. BUT WE, Artists yesterday CONSTRUCTORS today. 1. WE PROCESSED the human being 2. WE ORGANIZE technology 1. WE DISCOVERED 2. PROPAGATE 3. CLEAN OUT 4. MERGE (Armstrong 22) This manifesto shows the frame of mind Rodchenko and his fellow graphic designers were in. They became constructors of lines, geometrical shapes, and other forms in a revolt of historical artists. Instead of creating symbols in flowers, religious scenes, and other subjects, Rodchenko studied humans and the new technology. He decided to use the new functional machinery as his example. As they discovered the new technology, spread the new type of graphic decide, clean out the sentimental and symbolism, and merge the techniques together, the graphic designs came into focus. The Industrial Revolution that had been occurring throughout the world also impacted Rodchenko’s work. Machines have clean lines. They are composed of wheels, lines, and other geometric shapes. The new technology inspired the graphic designs of the Constructivists. Technology was the basis of Constructivists. The clean efficiency of machines are what Rodchenko wanted to convey in his graphic designs. Symbolism and underlying meanings were a thing of the past. The directness of a machine is what the Constructivists wanted to portray in their designs. Every Constructivist graphic design had a purpose. These designs were not frivolous, but slogans or advertisements. The Cover design for the journal of the Left Front of the Arts (LEF) no. 2 is an example of the functionality of Rodchenko’s work. The Cover design for the journal of the Left Front of the Arts (LEF) no. 2 is pictured below: (Rodchenko, 1923) This cover serves the function of promoting the Communist journal Left Front of the Arts. All of the Constructivist designs, including Rodchenko’s, are functional. They serve a purpose. Constructivist would not have evolved in a different society like it did in the emerging Soviet Union. Communism is a collectivism. In order to motivate a whole population to work harder, share, and produce, posters of encouragement or propaganda is needed. Rodchenko’s posters were propaganda meant to motivate the mass of Russian people to convert, live, and express Communism. The function of his advertisements and journal covers was to promote Communism. Unlike other artists, the Constructivists became Industrial Designers (Meggs 287). They did not create art for pleasure, but propaganda for Communism. These designs were functional, not traditional art. The Constructivists did not look at themselves as artists. They constructed the posters or journal covers. These posters or journal covers were not painted, but constructed. Every element is constructed carefully. For example, in Trade union is a defender of female labour each element was placed with care. Three photographs are placed on this poster. A woman is in the center. Two scenes of women workers are placed in ovals on the right and left sides of the poster. The ovals are set in triangles. The center is shaped in a sand timer. All of the lettering is uniform and geometrical. The shapes on the poster are symmetrical. The pictures are what make the poster unique. This poster was not painted, but constructed. Each element was not only placed carefully, but in an effort to balance the poster as a whole. The pictures were superimposed on the artwork. This is the example of a true graphic designer. Trade union is a defender of female labour is shown below: (Rodchenko 1925) Another aspect of the Constructivist is technology helped them construct their art. The mimeograph machine and plates allowed Rodchenko to mass produce his posters and journal covers. Without technology of mass production, Constructivists would not have existed. Even today posters by Rodchenko are being massed produced. The plates made for the mimeograph machine allowed Rodchenko and his fellow graphic designers to create their designs. It was more of a construction than real art. Rodchenko’s “Who We Are: Manifesto of the Constructivist Group” is a declaration of minimalism and functionality. His posters and journal entries Cover design for the journal of the Left Front of the Arts (LEF) no. 2, Lengiz – Books in all Branches of Knowledge, and Trade union is a defender of female labour are examples of this functionality and geometrical design. Reodchenko and the Constructivist Group were exactly what the Russian Revolution needed to succeed. References Armstrong, H. (2009). Graphic design theory: Readings from the field. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. Meggs, P.B. and A.W. Purvis. (2011). Meggs' history of graphic design. New York: Wiley. Rodchenko, A. (1923). Cover design for the journal of the Left Front of the Arts (LEF) no. 2. ---. (1925). Lengiz – Books in all Branches of Knowledge. ---. (1925). Trade union is a defender of female labour. Read More