What does “Suprematism” mean?
Malevich first wrote the term Suprematism, in reference to his 1915 works, in a letter dated 24 September (old calendar) 1915. In 1927 Malevich wrote “Under Suprematism I understand the supremacy of pure feeling in creative art [italics added]. To the Suprematist the visual phenomena of the objective world are, in themselves, meaningless; the significant thing is feeling [that[ is called forth.” Art historians suggest that Malevich selected the term to claim superior conceptual ground for totally abstract painting.
Malevich’s Suprematist paintings and drawings eschew any representation of objects, people, or landscapes, except for his own visual interpretation of the feelings that such things invoke – in him, but his writing suggests that he perceived those feelings to be widespread. Instead of visual representation, his work relies on rectilinear forms (occasionally circles or half circles) rendered in solid (or nearly solid) color (especially black, reds, and white) on a white background. (More about these colors in future posts.)