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Contructivism: Origins and Evolution

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Written by the American sculptor George Rickey, this invaluable guide to the Constructivist movement virtually stands alone as a scholarly work authored by a fine artist of considerable reputation rather than an academic. As discussed in part one, the style known as Constructivism originated with the work of the Russian Naum Gabo and his Realist Manifesto of 1920. Gabo's works redefined how sculpture was both made and perceived, as they were built with planes and wires, rather than cast or carved, and incorporated movement, space and light as sculptural elements. These works are compared to other advanced works by fellow Russians Kandinsky, Tatlin, and Malevich, as well as other geometric European works, such as the right-angled primary colored paintings of Mondrian, and those of the German Bauhaus. Rickey himself, whose works are squarely within the Constructivist vein, and are abstract and often kinetic, is generally overshadowed by his more famous contemporary, Alexander Calder, whose work is more aligned with Dada and Surrealism.

The second part of the book exhaustively examines the global spectrum of artists who Rickey sees as carrying on the Constructivist principles. He divides these works into twelve categories such as "reliefs" and "movement," and cites numerous examples of each. Curiously, Rickey deliberately omits any discussion of Minimalism (he refers to it as "primary structures"), probably the most obvious and direct descendant of Constructivism. All the works Rickey discusses in part two were made in the 1950s and 60s, and are still reproduced in black and white, despite the fact that the book was revised in 1995.

Despite its flaws, this is still one of the landmark accounts of the Constructivist movement, its often idealistic goals, and the important works produced by its adherents.

This book covers the time period in art history called, "constructivism." This art work includes sculptures that are built rather than cast or carved. If you are looking for something related to education and constructivism, this is not your book. If you want details and information on the art period from 1913-1922, this book is for you!