Russian Avant Garde and De Stijl

Seeing and learning about all of these people who challenged thier current standards of art makes me feel like art and design is kind of stagnant right now. Like its time for something new to happen.


The artist in the russian avant garde are looking for a new art. The movement is broken up into two main groups, the constructivism and suprematism. Constructivism was based on function, things like propaganda and packaging design, very practical. Suprematism focuses on art as pure expression, art for the sake of art, there is no immediate function. During this time photo montage became popular both in photography and in cinema. In the movie Potemkin, the director explored montage in a way not done before. The way he cuts the film insinuates instead of directly showing what happens. Alexander Rodchenko is a well known constructivist. He designed everyday things like packaging. He idea was that his work had moral value because it had function and because it was helping out society. and then there was De Stijl? This movement was developed in the Netherlands and had an utopian approach to aesthetics. There is no texture, only flat panels of pure hue, and it is based on mathematical structure. Piet Mondrian is the best known artist from this time but the founder of the movement was Theo Van Deosburg. Was often applied to architecture. In 1921 they began exploring asymmetrical compostion WOOT WOOT!! Theo was interested in Dadaism even though it is the complete opposite work. They are both looking for new ways to do art but what Theo is interested in is that they are tearing down the old ways of thinking about are. He believed this would make way for his new ways of art.