Lecture Notes// Revolutionary Design

Dictatorship and Propaganda

Russian Revolution, led by Lenin 1917 'Peace, bread and land'.

Russian Revolution October 1917 - Revolution street workers, The Bolshevik: Reds (Revolutionary Bolsheviks) vs. (Anti-Revolutionary Imperialists). Bolsheviks wanted to over throw the government.

B Kustodiev "The Bolshevik' 1920 Painting

The flag in this painting represents the blood of the workers who died to free Russia, it's also a symbol of the Revolutions Left Movement "BOLSHEVISM". Propaganda: Collectively standing together as one…has a bigger impact, power of the every man. Symbolic red symbolises Bolsheviks, Communism.

Leader - Lenin, Workers take the country, OCTOBER (The ten days that shook the world)
1927 Director : Sergei Eidenstein.

 In the mid 1920s Intense artist experimentation new society, new rules and new order.

The plan was to invent a new style of art to suit the new Russia. Russia was at the time a third world country and workers controlled the new country.

Lenin encouraged modernist art. They had a deep interest in Picasso's work 'Factory'. This was the time when artwork would have workers in it instead of Kings and Queens. A new Modern society was being born. MALEVICH and Suprematism…”an art movement focused on fundamental geometric forms (in particular the square and circle) which formed in Russia in 1915-1916. It was not until later that suprematism received conventional museum preparations. Founded by Kasimir 
Poster by Rodchenko "Books"

Propaganda: 1917-mid 1920's: intense artistic experimentation,

eighty per cent illiteracy among Russian citizens. The poster spreads a message through image, encouraging more people to learn, the Woman in the poster made the female population more interested because it ruled out the conventional man and wife role. The triangle symbolizes the Russian army formation, Education was a new regime, ready to replace the old.

The Constructivists aims were to achieve the communistic expression of material structures. Lenins New economic Policy 1921. In the late 1920’s, Stalin bans modern art – Socialist Realism. Art was a prisoner of politics.

Designers were needed, but they didn’t want to associate with 'art school' so Decree stated what was needed; ‘industrial equipment and consumer goods quality improvement by artistic engineering methodology implementation.'

In summary, the Revolution; opportunity for art to progress…………. Aim that art should help 'construct' new society………….Constructivists desire to make art useful………….Use of new techniques and abstract aesthetic…………. Revolution = new. By the end of the 1920s artistic freedom curtailed, 1934 Stalin decrees ‘Socialist Realism’ only.