Theo van Doesburg, Vladimir Tatlin en de constructivistische reis naar de vierde dimensie

Abstract

Theo van Doesburg, Vladimir Tatlin and the constructivist journey to the fourth dimension The magazine De Stijl is considered a constructivist magazine with Theo van Doesburg at its centre, especially among writers. This article tries to find an answer to the question: which characteristics in van Doesburg’s poetry make him a literary constructivist, taking into account the premises of the original constructivism as it emerged in pre-revolutionary Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. This is done by analysing his poem entitled X-Beelden 1920 which could come close to constructivism. First, there follows a brief outline of some essential features of a constructivist work of art, explained by presenting an example from architecture, which at the time was considered the most important art also for literary constructivists. This idea was inspired by the non-Euclidean geometry and the theory of relativity. The new concept of time and space developed at the beginning of the 20th century was adopted by many artists, among them van Doesburg. Although he often reflected upon it in his programmatic essays, not enough evidence was found to prove the thesis that his poem X-Beelden 1920 could be constructivist and that the fourth dimension would find its way into his literary practice.