Japanese Taishō Russian Constructionists Style Kimono

A Japanese kimono from the Taisho period.

• The Russian constructivists held that art should serve a social purpose, which for them was the revolution beginning in 1919, and becoming 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, such as this kimono bearing resemblance to Alexander Rodchenko's photographs, such as the one seen here from the 1920s and 1930s.