constructivism

Abstract art movement that originated in Russia in about 1914 and subsequently had great influence on Western art. Constructivism usually involves industrial materials such as glass, steel, and plastic in clearly defined arrangements, but the term is difficult to define precisely, as the meaning attached to it has varied according to place and time. Some art historians distinguish between Russian (or Soviet) constructivism and the more diffuse European (or international) constructivism.

The founder of constructivism was Vladimir Tatlin, who, following a visit to Paris in 1914, began making small relief constructions using scraps of material such as pieces of wood and wire. These were influenced by the sculptural work of Pablo Picasso, whom Tatlin had visited in Paris. Picasso had virtually invented a new approach to sculpture. Instead of the two traditional methods of carving and modelling, he produced three-dimensional works by simply joining various materials together, and this lay at the heart of constructivism.