Viaduct

I tried to make the best use of another glorious day with a 9 mile walk in an area where I usually meet no other walkers. There were plenty about today.

Constructivism was a movement of Soviet artists, influenced by Cubism. They used materials such as wood, metal, plastics and glass as well as paint and saw themselves as having a bond with working people. They thought that the inherent qualities of a material - its suppleness, texture, colour and hardness - should define its potential usage in a "construction." Many of their works were abstract sculptures from such materials. Although I understand the theory, I am having difficulty seeing its application as having much practical merit.

One constructivist whose abstract paintings do have appeal to me is Alexander Rodchenko.  His White Circle (1918) explored how different colours react with different backgrounds, the image creating a conflict in viewers' minds as to which circle should have dominance.

A series of other works, with variations on the title Non-Objective Composition (1919) used abstract shapes to suggest mechanical structures.