Soviet Constructivist Architecture...and Its Influences
Soviet Constructivist Architecture
…and its influences
The Russian architectural profession was relatively intact after the revolution in October 1917, at least compared to the other arts in this unstable time. Foreign architects worked freely in the larger cities and the demand for private building was relatively high. This period was short lived as civil war wreaked havoc with the economy and infrastructure of the country. A major turning point for the profession, and the Russian people as a whole, was Act passed by the Bolsheviks, repealing the right for private ownership of urban real-estate. This ‘socialisation of Soviet soil’ set the framework for the ill prepared architects of the time, with a new regard for projects not as just isolated buildings, but as elements of a greater whole. Post-revolutionary Russian architecture endeavoured to change, to revolutionise in fact, the conception of space; creating environments that complimented their new social values, while utilising the latest in construction techniques.
The Constructivists were the prominent group that emerged around this period, starting in the early 1920s, up until the late 1930s. Their inspiration came from paintings and sculptures by the likes of Naum Gabo and Anton Pevsner. Attempting to bring cubism into three dimensions, while fusing their designs with a sense of kinetic energy, the constructivists enjoyed critical success abroad. There were numerous exhibitions in Germany, the Netherlands, France, and the US, and they were considerably well received by the intelligentsia all over the world. Links were made with artists and architects from the other prominent European movements at the time, such as Bauhaus, and De Stijl, who were fascinated by the social experiment unfolding in the Soviet Union. They saw Russian avant-garde, specifically constructivism as fitting sign to a new, unshackled society. Over the next few years after the revolution, a new, focused ideology behind
…and its influences
The Russian architectural profession was relatively intact after the revolution in October 1917, at least compared to the other arts in this unstable time. Foreign architects worked freely in the larger cities and the demand for private building was relatively high. This period was short lived as civil war wreaked havoc with the economy and infrastructure of the country. A major turning point for the profession, and the Russian people as a whole, was Act passed by the Bolsheviks, repealing the right for private ownership of urban real-estate. This ‘socialisation of Soviet soil’ set the framework for the ill prepared architects of the time, with a new regard for projects not as just isolated buildings, but as elements of a greater whole. Post-revolutionary Russian architecture endeavoured to change, to revolutionise in fact, the conception of space; creating environments that complimented their new social values, while utilising the latest in construction techniques.
The Constructivists were the prominent group that emerged around this period, starting in the early 1920s, up until the late 1930s. Their inspiration came from paintings and sculptures by the likes of Naum Gabo and Anton Pevsner. Attempting to bring cubism into three dimensions, while fusing their designs with a sense of kinetic energy, the constructivists enjoyed critical success abroad. There were numerous exhibitions in Germany, the Netherlands, France, and the US, and they were considerably well received by the intelligentsia all over the world. Links were made with artists and architects from the other prominent European movements at the time, such as Bauhaus, and De Stijl, who were fascinated by the social experiment unfolding in the Soviet Union. They saw Russian avant-garde, specifically constructivism as fitting sign to a new, unshackled society. Over the next few years after the revolution, a new, focused ideology behind