constructivism

American  

[kuhn-struhk-tuh-viz-uhm] / kənˈstrʌk təˌvɪz əm /

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter)

1. Fine Arts. a nonrepresentational style of art developed by a group of Russian artists principally in the early 20th century, characterized chiefly by a severely formal organization of mass, volume, and space, and by the employment of modern industrial materials.

2. Theater. a style of scenic design characterized by abstraction, simplification, and stylization rather than realistic imitation.

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constructivism British  

/ kənˈstrʌktɪˌvɪzəm /

noun

1. a movement in abstract art evolved in Russia after World War I, primarily by Naum Gabo, which explored the use of movement and machine-age materials in sculpture and had considerable influence on modern art and architecture

2. philosophy the theory that mathematical entities do not exist independently of our construction of them Compare intuitionism finitism

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Other Word Forms

• constructivist noun

Etymology

Origin of constructivism

First recorded in 1920–25; constructive + -ism

Example Sentences

It showcases a collection of about 70 artworks in various formats representing different trends, from figurative art to futurism and constructivism.

From Reuters • Nov. 29, 2022

He traveled around Europe to learn about different building styles — art deco in Lisbon, constructivism in Moscow.

From Washington Post • Aug. 25, 2022

That year also saw the temporary appointment of Theo van Doesburg, the founder of the Dutch De Stijl movement, who influenced Bauhaus’s aesthetic shift toward constructivism.

From New York Times • Aug. 10, 2016

The force of his design comes partly from the Bauhaus and from constructivism, with its geometric directness and insistence on, as Games put it, "maximum meaning, minimum means".

From The Guardian • Aug. 23, 2014

Alas, there are still plenty of people who think, with Nick Wilding, that ‘social constructivism does not go nearly far enough.’

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton