MODERN ART KIMONO

RUSSIAN CONSTRUCTIVISM 1914-1930

The Russian constructivists held that art should serve a social purpose, which for them was the revolution. Beginning in 1919, it became the leading philosophy in all aspects of Soviet art, design and culture. Given its roots in Cubism and its pervasive influence on modern art movements of the 20th century, it is not surprising that the style appears in Japanese textile designs of the period. Constructivism fell out of favor with the rise of Stalin, replaced by Soviet Realism.

Silk Haori, Taisho Era

Varvara Stepanova was an artist and designer at the forefront of the Constructivist movement.

Silk Kimono, Taisho Era
Private Collection

Liubov Popova was an important designer of constructivist textiles in the USSR, in the period shortly after the revolution.

Silk Kimono, Meisen technique, probably Taisho Era

Constructivist Alexander Rodchenko was a multi-talented artist who worked in painting, graphics, photography, and textile design. The bold geometry of his designs carry through all of his mediums.

Silk blend Kimono, Taisho Era

This kimono and the one above seem to anticipate the Op Art movement of the 1960s, with their abstract optical illusions.

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