Orphism, Futurism, Suprematism & Constructivism

Orphism

an early 20th-century abstract movement that developed from Cubism, focusing on pure color, rhythm, and light through simultaneous contrast.

• Developed from Cubism, but color replaces structure

• Inspired by Chevreul’s color theory (simultaneous contrast)

• Focus on rhythm, light, movement, and sensation

• Bridge between Cubism and abstraction

Orphism Pieces

Sonia Delaunay – Electric Prisms (1914)

• Abstract composition of colored discs

• Vibrating contrasts of color

Robert Delaunay – Simultaneous Contrasts: Sun and Moon (1912)

• Optical vibration

• No traditional depth

• Color creates motion

Sonia Delaunay – Simultaneous Dresses (1925)

• Abstract painting translated into fashion

• Art + body + movement

• Modern lifestyle design

Painting the Modern City

• Rapid industrialization and urban growth transformed European cities.

• Artists sought new visual languages to represent speed, noise, fragmentation, and energy.

Robert Delaunay – The Eiffel Tower (1911)

• Icon of modern Paris

• Fragmented structure

• Color and movement

Fernand Léger – The City (1919)

• Machine-age aesthetic

• Bold geometry

• Fragmented urban signs

Futurism

an early 20th-century avant-garde movement that celebrated speed, technology, machines, and modern life, rejecting the past and traditional art.

• Originated in Italy

• Celebration of speed, machines, violence, modernity

• Rejection of the past

• Influenced by Cubism but more aggressive

Futurism Pieces

Umberto Boccioni – Unique Forms of Continuity in Space (1913)

• Icon of Futurism (often the single image used to represent the movement)

• Translates Futurist ideas into sculpture

• Human body becomes pure motion and speed

Giacomo Balla – Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash (1912)

• Clearest visual explanation of movement

• Uses repetition like photography and chronophotography

Giacomo Balla – Street Light (1910–11)

• Technology replaces nature (electric light vs moon)

• Symbol of modern city and progress

• Radiating energy = Futurist visual language

Cubo-Futurism

Kazimir Malevich – The Knife Grinder (1912–13)

• Cubist fragmentation + Futurist motion

• Machine-like human

• Repetitive forms

• Transition toward abstraction

Suprematism

an early 20th-century abstract movement that aimed to express pure feeling through simple geometric forms and non-representational art. (Russia)

• Complete abstraction

• Art free from representation

• Focus on pure feeling

• Simple geometric forms

Suprematism Pieces

Malevich – Airplane Flying: Suprematist Composition (1915)

• No reference to reality

• Sense of weightlessness

Malevich – White on White (1918)

• Extreme abstraction

• Art reduced to essence

• Radical break from representation

El Lissitzky – Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge (1919–20)

• Abstract propaganda poster

• Suprematist geometry

• Political meaning

Constructivism

an early 20th-century movement that rejected “art for art’s sake” in favor of functional, industrial design serving social and political purposes. (Russia)

• Art serves society

• Linked to Russian Revolution, propaganda

• Rejection of “art for art’s sake”

• Use of industrial materials

Constructivism Pieces

Aleksandr Rodchenko – Spatial Construction No. 12

• Purest statement of Constructivist principles

• Hanging sculpture, Industrial materials

• Real space, not illusion

Aleksandr Rodchenko – Rubber Trust Advertising Poster (1923)

• Constructivism applied to graphic design & propaganda

• Clear link between art, industry, and politics

• Photomontage + bold typography

Varvara Stepanova – Sports Clothing Designs (1923)

• Constructivism moving into everyday life

• Functional, mass-produced design

• Strong socialist ideology

• Art as useful, not decorative