History of Graphic Design

Lecture 15, test 3

Suprematism, Constructivism, and De Stijl

• Kazimir Malevich

• Russian painter,and art theorist

style // Suprematism

Black Square (Malevich, 1913), State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

• Kazimir Malevich

• Art is the “expression of feeling, seeking no practical values, no ideas, no promised land.”

style // Suprematism

Black Square (Malevich, 1913), State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

practical

impractical

or

• Malevich and Kandinsky

• art is a spiritual activity apart from utilitarian needs

on the other hand...

• Vladimir Tatlin and Alexander Rodchenko

• rejected art for art’s sake

• sought practical application

the debate of the 20s

Tatlin’s Tower

Kandinsky -- Composition VIII

• 1919–1934

• Russia

style // Constructivism

Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge

• Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge

• by El Lissitzky, 1919

style // Constructivism

• Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge

• by El Lissitzky, 1919

• Whites - Kerensky’s forces

• Red Wedge -the Bolsheviks

style // Constructivism

• Philosophy:

• Rejected ‘art for arts sake’

• Design can help to achieve political purposes

style // Constructivism

El Lissitzky,exhibition poster

• Influences:

• Communism

• Russian Futurism

• De Stijl

style // Constructivism

• Characteristics:

• grid alignment

style // Constructivism

Karel Teige, cover art

• Characteristics:

• grid alignment

• sans or slab serif type

style // Constructivism

Magazine covers, by Rodchenko

• Characteristics:

• grid alignment

• sans serif type

• bars and rules

style // Constructivism

El Lissitzky, The isms of Art

• Characteristics:

• grid alignment

• sans serif type

• bars and rules

• reverse type

style // Constructivism

“Everyone must votein the Elexction of Soviets”Gustav Klutsis

El Lissitzky, The isms of Art, cover

• Russian

• a major player in Constructivism

• philosophy: Design can be an agent of change

people // El Lissitzky

• Russian

• a major player in Constructivism

• philosophy: Design can be an agent of change

• influenced the Bauhaus, and De Stijl movements

• believed photo-mechanical tech. would replace type-setting

people // El Lissitzky

• 1917–1931

• De Stijl (the style)

• Netherlands

• aka Holland

• Dutch refers to the people and the language

style // De Stijl

Piet Mondrian

• Famous Dutch designers:

• Piet Mondrian,painter

style // De Stijl

• Famous Dutch designers:

• Piet Mondrian,painter

• Gerrit Rietveld,furniture designer

style // De Stijl

early Piet Mondrian paintingView from the Dunes with Beach and Piers, Domburg

1909

• Theo van Doesburg

• writer, painter, critic

• published De Stijl,a magazine that promoted De Stijl principles

people // De Stijl

• Influences:

• Cubism

• Constructivism

style // De Stijl

• Characteristics:

• Planes of primary color

style // De Stijl

Theo Van Doesburg, Composition VII

• Characteristics:

• Planes of primary color

• squared terminals on type

style // De Stijl

P22 De Stijl

• Characteristics:

• Planes of primary color

• squared terminals on type

• abstracted forms

style // De Stijl

Red and Blue ChairGerrit Rietveld

Rietveld Schröder House

the end