Kazimir Malevich, 2

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.)

Kazimir Malevich, 1

Kazimir Malevich was born in Kiev in February 1878, to parents of Polish descent.  He took drawing and painting classes in his late teens, and began painting scenes in the Ukrainian countryside.  He moved to Moscow in 1904 and studied at the Moscow School of painting, Sculpture, and Architecture through his late 20s.  During these years his style developed from naturalism to neo-impressionist to expressionist.  Exposed to Cubist and Futurist paintings in 1909-10, he developed affinity for and mastery of those artistic approaches over the next five years.

 In December 1915, 0.10, The Last Futurist Exhibition was held in Petrograd (St. Petersburg).  Malevich exhibited 39 “completely nonrepresentational works for the first time, presented as the ‘new painterly realism’” including Black Square (1915).  He followed that exhibit with brochures and lectures extolling “Suprematism” as “the New Realism of Painting, to Absolute Creation” and “The New Painterly Realism.”  

During the Russian Revolution (1917-23), the Tenth State Exhibition: Nonobjective Art and Suprematism was held in Moscow (1919).  Malevich exhibited 16 Suprematist paintings in the exhibit, including Suprematist Composition: White on White (1918).

From 1928, Malevich’s painting shifted to highly stylized depictions of farmers and workers, almost certainly motivated by political pressure.  Between 1929 and 1934, increasing resistance to artistic pluralism in general and non-representational art in particular culminated in a statement from the Congress of Soviet Writers claimed “Socialist Realism as the exclusive style for Soviet writers and artists.”  Indeed, in 1934 socialist realism became the only painting style that could be taught or publicly exhibited in the Soviet Union.

On 15 May 1935, Malevich died of cancer at home in Leningrad (St. Petersberg).  In the words of Russian scholar Aleksandra Shatskikh, “From the mid-1930s to the late 1980s, there was [and had been] no artist in the Soviet Union by the name of Kazimir Malevich.”

Why did Malevich embrace completely “non-objective” art?  What led Malevich to the Black Square, which he termed “the zero point” for painting?  Why call his new insight “Suprematism”?  How did Suprematism relate to Russian Constructivism?  What awful discovery was made about Black Square, 100 years after its creation? 

Non-objective art

As you know, I love visual abstraction.  “Abstract” art may reflect something actually seen – but abstracted to heighten the impact.  Impressionist paintings are great examples of this, as are Expressionist paintings.  Further back in time, Mannerist painting elongated limbs and exaggerated human gestures, to heighten the drama of scenes that the viewer can interpret from their own experiences. 

One extreme of abstraction is often called “non-objective,” because it contains no reference to actual objects.  This is discomforting for some viewers, who want to relate a painting to something familiar or even to some thing imagined.  However, it gives the mind totally free rein to interpret meanings or to revel in the visual stimulation without meanings.  Non-objective pieces are “ever green” – always fresh for the viewer, who can see something different at each viewing.

Automaton (https://www.jwharrington.com/other-abstractions/automaton) is such a piece, presenting bold colors against a white background.  (Against white, even black appears as a bold color.)  I painted this as flat as possible, using acrylic gouache, to provide no texture – just color and shape.

Cusp (https://www.jwharrington.com/other-abstractions) is a new favorite of mine, because it uses a mix of pigments (Cobalt Blue and Ultramarine Blue) to yield a blue so “deep” I feel I can swim in it.  To heighten the contrast, I’ve surrounded the blue (graded from pale to deep) with white.  And what role does that bright red circle (or sphere?) play in the composition?

Color Abstraction 30 (https://www.jwharrington.com/color-abstractions) continues the series I’ve been working on for years:  each painting is 24” x 24”, with strictly straight lines or shapes on a solid background.  Here we have interlaced rectangles in white, Cobalt Blue, and a rich, ruddy brown.  I’ve created several interpretations of this composition, and have placed it in the entry of our house, where I can create new interpretations every time I come home.  (I only wish that others could visit and see it – it could be a great conversation piece.)

The Path

I’ve enjoyed the feedback I’ve gotten on The Path. It’s meant to be somewhat enigmatic — in the placement and intent of the “narrator” (who’s on the path? are they on it or above it?); in the nature of the black void on the right; and the ultimate destination of this solitary path. A fellow artist said she sees the texture within the path itself as a reflection — or maybe even an on-the-ground manifestation — of the stars in the sky above. I love that.