Soviet Constructivism as Social-reforming Way for a Life Reconstructing By Architectural Methods: The Reasons for the Forbidding
Abstract
The aim of the study was to provide answers to a historical question that still remains a blank spot in Russian historiography - what are the reasons for the banning of the Soviet architectural avant-garde in 1932. The article gives an answer to the question of the reasons why the supreme bodies of Soviet power ceased the development of Soviet constructivism. Reveals the socio-political motives of this decision. Describes the features of the functioning of the totalitarian-command system of management of the nation-wide project complex. It shows that the prohibition of constructivism was a direct consequence of the transformation of the free profession of an architect into a public service. Characterizes the position of the party and state leadership of the USSR in relation to the Soviet architectural avant-garde in general. The result of the study is to prove the fact that, after its official prohibition, constructivism has not disappeared, but has changed. It turned into the so-called ”Soviet functionalism”, which was a response to the need for the management metric criteria for evaluating design decisions. Soviet functionalism took from Soviet constructivism only what ensured the exercise of administrative functions of leadership and control. He took only what was the ”materialization” of meanings, only that which could be felt and measured. At the same time, reasoning about the form, rhythm, plasticity and other ”aesthetic nonsenses” were discarded as unnecessary.
Keywords: Soviet architectural avant-garde, constructivism, Stalin’s empire, architect profession in the USSR
References
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