Futurism + Soviet Avant Grade

p Russian Avant-Garde Architecture : Mysticism in Form

The late 19th century Russian architecture witnessed the origin of the avant-garde architecture in Russian culture and art . Particularly , works of Konstantin Stepanovich Melnikov and El Lissitzky speak of the uniqueness of the era , and serve to inspire later artists , giving birth to Western architectural modernism (Rykwert 2000

Briefly explained , avant-garde architecture , combines rational thought with imaginative or irrational modes (Read , as cited in Rykwert 2000 This means that art produced during this period combines mathematical scientific , and technical theories with creative , intuitive , and

br spiritual expression . As a result , the architectural designs brought to us by two artists namely , Melnikov and Lissitzky redefine the construction of art from the formal thought to the sympathetic mystical , and holistic art mode

Born to a peasant family in 1890 , Konstantin Melnikov reflects the art of his life , one that he learned from school and from his personal connections . For instance , the Rusakov Workers ' Club he designed within Moscow clearly reflects his own perspective of breadth and width . At a distance , the club seems like a hand holding up to the sky . Each of the panels embossed seems like strong , masculine finger strongly structured against the city background . Such structure stands out boldly , like a powerful hand , such that of a worker

His own house which he built in 1927 shows an example of how the artist maximized possibilities for his audience , and made incarnate their imagination (Melnikov , n .d . As shown in the picture , the artist breaks the monotony of the place by combining modern structure with mysticism From its cylindrical shape and the hexagonal windows that seem like gems at a distance , the audience can experience fascination mixed with curiousity . With the windows that seem to offer only glimpses of the view inside , the audience may feel a certain curiosity towards some secrets hidden inside the dwelling . The overall appeal created by the artist would amuse passersby

Another proponent of the avant-garde is El Lissitzky . Though some of his designs did not materialize during his time , most of them serve as inspiration to later generations . For example , his Wolkenb 'gel or Cloud-Iron , designed in 1925 though never built , proposes inversion and the freedom to contradict formalistic art , and law of , if any . The small towers that hold what is supposedly the base give impressions of falling and out of the usual , thus instilling a certain cleverness to go out of the usual , and to consider possibilities

Combining mysticism and geometry , El Lissitzky designed the Prounroom in 1923 . In this particular design , he suggests a unique possibility of combining architecture with painting and sculpture - the very nature of his personality . As a painter and designer , the artist resorted to three-dimensional structures to decorate the place , replacing the usual frames of painting . This suggests blending of the plain structure of the room with the geometrical shapes , thus making all elements work as one Such design is very popular nowadays in both Western and Asian art References...