How to Deal with the Art of Nothingness - Suprematism by Malevich

Kazimir Malevich | Avent-Garde Russian Artist

It was a dream of Kazimir Malevich, a visionary and Russian Avant-garde artist, to free art from rigid and objective, worldly manifestations. No wonder, his works revolutionized the world of modern art. It was like a child playing with circles, squares, and rectangles to express his latent thoughts and whims. Yet, it was not that simple. He wanted his viewers to focus on the subject matter from their point of interpretation and perception, not as an object painted by an artist. 

The Suprematist movement had inspired greater art movements like abstract expressionism. Works of Mark Rothko, Lee Krasner, or Jackson Pollock, famous for the gestural art expressions and color field theory have been influenced by the non-objective art ideals of Malevich. Yes, Malevich was the founder of the groundbreaking art form and movement – Suprematism, a visual language that deals with simple shapes and primary colors. Let’s talk about it more, as we delve deeper into the art of absolute nothingness! 

Suprematism | Breaking Myths of Objective Reality

Who Was Kazimir Malevich?

Kazimir Severinovich Malevich was of Polish descent though he was born in Kiev, Ukraine. He started showing his obsession for art from an early age. From the very onset, he was greatly moved by the styles of symbolism, impressionist techniques, and fauvism. Surprisingly enough, his journey started as a landscape painter who usually painted pastoral and religious scenes! But with time, he started to think differently until it turned out to be something radical. The turning point in his style and technique came with the rise of abstract and avant-garde ideals, especially, the philosophy behind Cubism and Futurism.

Kazimir Malevich | Self Portrait | Founder of Suprematism

What were the Key Ideas behind ‘Suprematism?’ What was Zero Degree Art?

Malevich’s works mainly concentrated on squares and circles. His iconic works on Black Square Painting were focused on the pure and elementary geometric shapes, like squares, circles and cross.

It was his idea to break the abstract ideas into more linear and fundamental forms, what he called the ‘Zero Degree’ art.

Cubism's ideals to distort real forms and its breakup of objects also inspired him to come up with such intuitive free forms.

Suprematist compositions do not represent physical objects, but the fundamental shapes, arranged in dynamic and balanced compositions. In his creations, the use of black and white abstract elements blended seamlessly with primary colors. This became the hallmark of Suprematist art and form.  

The Simplicity of Suprematist Art | Working with Pure Form and Shapes

Why was the Supreme Theme in ‘Suprematism’ ?

"The supremacy of pure feeling in creative art."

The term Suprematism was coined after the word ‘supreme’ as Malevich focused more on the pure form of color and shape; or it can be said that color and shapes were supreme in his creations more than the images of the world. So, it was nothing but the supremacy of pure geometric forms that captured his attention.

Why Was Malevich So Obsessed with White and Black Squares?

Kazimir Malevich's Iconic Black Square Painting | 1915

Yes, Malevich was greatly moved by the black squares and he had mentioned this in his manifesto as well. Regarding the Suprematist movement, he once told that it was his -

“Desperate attempt to free art from the ballast of the objective world’’ as he turned his focus on mere form.

Black square painting or the famous Suprematist composition show his inclination towards some different artistic expressions, deviating from the conventional representational elements to embrace pure abstraction. That’s how, with the help of Suprematism Art, Malevich sought to go beyond any kind of material reality and enter a realm of spirituality with geometric shapes.  

In 1915, Malevich took a bold step with his phenomenal black quadrilateral square placed on a stark white background, and that gave the birth of non-objective art. This was known as the ‘zero point of painting’ – where asymmetry, dynamism and simple objects dominated the art scene, in contrast to the traditional representations.

Let’s take a glimpse of his other phenomenal Suprematist compositions like the White on White, which was the most radical and minimalist art expression according to Malevich. The painting contained a white diamond floating on an off-white background, (that’s why it is called White on White) and that’s how Malevich tried to reach the ultimate spot of a pure, spiritual, and transcendental art form.

This form as referred to by Malevich was like a "desert where nothing is real except feeling."

The White Suprematist Cross, 1927 | Malevich

The Symbolism of Black and White

"A bare icon, without a frame, without embellishments, but a beacon of non-objective art."

-          Kazimir Malevich

Often, black signifies a void, nothingness, and a feeling of all-pervasiveness. Malevich's Black Square Painting (1915) was more than a dark-colored geometric shape, it was far beyond that. It showcased a kind of void, an exit from all conventional art & aesthetics, as a true rebel against conventional beauty. Malevich described it as an entry point to non-objective art.

Likewise, he used white as a plane to move to the realm of spiritual ecstasy in his work White on White. Here the color and form nearly vanished, leaving only the essence of pure artistic expression which was so subtle!

The Influence of Suprematism

Malevich’s Suprematism had inspired a chain of Avant-Garde art movements like Abstract Expressionism, Constructivism, Minimalism, and even movements like De Stijl movement pioneered by Piet Mondrian. That’s how the concept of ‘Utilitarian Art’ came to the fore, art that was meant for the industrial and social applications. This also showed new roads for contemporary art, modern designs like graphic art, architectural, and industrial designs.

Interestingly, Malevich also contributed to the discourse on art as a visionary and theorist. In his book The Non-Objective World published in 1927, he described the philosophy behind his art in detail. It also hinted on the impact of Suprematism on modernism as a forethought.

Art Inspired by Suprematism

Malevich and the Soviet Regime

In spite of initial popularity and acceptance, the Suprematist art gradually started losing ground due to the hostility of the Soviet government. They dismissed this art form calling it something as a ‘bourgeois’ expression, and not in accordance with socialist realism.

The Suprematist movement gained its ground around 1915 with Kazimir Malevich and breathed its last in 1924, when Stalin rose to power and smothered all independent styles of artistic expression barring Socialist Realism.

Any kind of abstract art was banned in Soviet Russia, by the late 1920s, and due to immense pressure from the government, Malevich abandoned his art and was compelled to turn to figurative paintings. Though, even after his death in 1935, the art form continued to inspire modern and contemporary artists. 

Suprematism Impacted Social and Cultural Circles in Soviet Russia

What Kazimir Malevich and Suprematism Have Left Behind

As a revolutionary art expression, Malevich’s Suprematist art is recognized and displayed in major museums. His radical thoughts and ideas were instrumental in shaping modernism and contemporary art forms. Phenomenal works like the Black Square Painting, received wide criticism and once dismissed as absurd, but was later celebrated as a path-breaking work in abstraction and non-objective art.

We are all familiar with the geometric patterns in modern fashion designing materials, in architectural designs, graphic designs, or in digital art forms. Suprematist ideals have deeply influenced some contemporary art movements like the Optical Illusion Art, Minimalism, and Abstract Expressionism. No wonder, Kazimir Malevich was called a visionary of art, as his groundbreaking vision triggered so many great art tendencies.

In fact, he has contributed to modern typography and commercial branding, where geometric abstraction has a key role to play. Though short-lived, this movement has created many milestones. So, the legacy of Suprematism lives on till date!

Legacy of Suprematist Art Still Going Strong!

Malevich & the Art of Nothingness: The Explorer of Pure Form and Non-Objective Art

"I have transformed myself in the zero form and have fished myself out of the rubbish heap of art history."

Malevich himself wrote in his manifesto about his strong intention of steering away from the much-hyped, traditional representational forms. He showed us the way to modern abstractionism, challenging the conventional perspectives, while pushing the limits of so-called established artistic expressions.

The Lady and the Piano by Kazimir Malevich

He was a great believer of pure form and color that could offer greater opportunities like exploring the non-objective form or the non-representational art.

Simple things and thoughts can be revolutionary – Malevich showed us through his radical use of black and white abstract compositions.

His Suprematist paintings, and radical theories will always be revered with great respect in the evolution of modern art and aesthetics, to prove that even simple structures can hold infinite meaning and depth.