Constructivism, Bauhaus & Dada

Presentation from the session.

Notes from the session.

Task 5

Constructivism was an artistic/architectural movement of the 1920s that emphasised art as a practice for social purposes. It was reflected in a number of mediums. Prominent themes within the movement include the body & the city, technology/machinery, architecture, science, politics and the workers. Constructivists often worked in black & white on a 2-dimensional picture plane, making use of geometric shapes, type, found images and graphic design.

Bauhaus was a school in Germany that combined both the fine arts and crafts. It was in operation in Weimar, Dessau and Berlin between 1919 and 1933. It was famous for the approach to design that it taught and publicised. 

Dada was a European avant-garde art movement of the early 20th century. The movement incorporated visual arts, poetry, literature, art theory, graphic design and theatre. Through a rejection of the subsisting standards in art through anti-art cultural works, it concentrated its anti-war politics. 

Two Dolls by László Moholy-Nagy (1926)

László Moholy-Nagy was a constructivist artist/ photographer. This work is typical of the constructivist movement in that it's black and white, makes use of geometric shapes and lends itself to a graphic style. Additionally it incorporates the themes of the body & the city and architecture.