After flirtations with Realism, Impressionism, and Symbolism, Kiev-born
Kazimir Malevich (1878-1935) found his métier in dissolving literal,
representational figures and landscapes into pure emotionally-charged
abstraction. In 1915, he created what is widely lauded as the first and
ultimate abstract artwork: Black Square, a black rectangle on a white
background, hailed as the "zero point of painting," a seminal moment for
modern and abstract practice.
In this book, we follow Malevich's key innovations and ideas and place
his groundbreaking achievements within the context of both the Russian
and global avant-garde. Through rich illustrations of his work, we
explore the artist's theory of Suprematism, based on severe geometric
abstraction and "the supremacy of pure feeling in creative art"; his
leading role in the development of Constructivism; as well as his
interests in philosophy, literature, Russian folk art, and the fourth
dimension.