Theme:
In response to the theme of play and abstraction, I made a simple game based on El Lissitzky's work 'beat the whites with the red wedge' and added some personal understanding
Context:
To be honest, I dare not say that I am familiar with so many abstract art schools and theories in the history of art. So I chose an artist I am familiar with and his works.
El Lissitzky was an important figure of the Russian avant-garde, he helped develop suprematismto, and his work also greatly influenced constructivist movements
'beat the whites with the red wedge' was made in 1919. Although he did not use any specific images, the geometry and composition, as well as the simple words on the poster made it easy for the almost illiterate farmers in Russia to understand the political meaning behind: the red wedge symbolizes the Bolsheviks, who are penetrating and defeating their opponents, the White army
As a representative of constructivism (although Lissitzky himself doesn't think so), his work undoubtedly perfectly embodies the core of Constructivism: art should be used for publicity and social purposes.
I hope to practice Lissitzky's theory by reconstructing his works, so I choose to use his poster to make my game. In this process, I have been thinking about how to make this game reflect my own understanding. So I choose small red wedges as my character. What players need is to combine small red wedges into a large one.
This also corresponds to what I want to express: Although the power of individuals is limited, when they are united, they can destroy the old world.
Method:
Making art assets in PS
Working in Unity
Reflection:
Because I didn't have enough time to think about the gameplay, the final result looked like a strange 'Tetris' game. If I have the chance, I hope to redesign its gameplay
But I'm glad that this game can intuitively express what I want to express, which is what I want to do in the future: use abstraction to express strong emotions, but let others easily understand the intention behind it.
Reference:
Soviet aesthetics Vol.07 | art serves all production!, Gadio Pro, 2021.
《Vkhutemas and Constructivism》, Vahan D. Barooshian, Wells College, 1976
By Liming Gu
Email Liming Gu
Published On: 11/05/2022