Beyond the Darkness: Deciphering the Fame of the Black Square Painting

Exploring the Enigma of Kazimir Malevich's "Black Square"

Unveiling a Revolutionary Art Exhibition

On December 19th, 1915, a pivotal moment in the world of art occurred in what we now recognize as St. Petersburg, Russia. An avant-garde art exhibition was unveiled, featuring a collection of radical artworks that would challenge the established norms of form and style in the art world. Among these ground-breaking pieces, one painting emerged as particularly controversial and iconic: Kazimir Malevich's "Black Square."

A Bold and Unconventional Masterpiece

Hanging inconspicuously in a corner of the exhibition space, Malevich's "Black Square" defied convention and tradition. It symbolically occupied a space traditionally reserved for religious icons, immediately sparking intrigue and controversy.

Mixed Reactions: Critique and Controversy

The reactions to Malevich's "Black Square" were mixed and impassioned. Some dismissed the painting's simplicity, with critics suggesting that even a child could have created it. Others expressed more dire sentiments, predicting that this seemingly unassuming black square would lead humanity to its doom. Such critiques have continued to follow artworks like Malevich's for generations, with their outward simplicity often inciting bewilderment and outrage.

The Complexity Behind the Simplicity

However, a closer examination of Malevich's "Black Square" reveals a level of intricacy that defies its initial appearance. In fact, it challenges the very notion of what constitutes a painting of a black square. The central form in the artwork is neither a perfect black nor a precise square. Its sides lack parallelism and equal length, and the shape isn't perfectly centered on the canvas. Malevich's intentional placement of the form slightly off-kilter imparts a sense of movement and infuses the surrounding white space with a vibrant, living quality.

A Canvas with Layers of History

The journey of the "Black Square" extends beyond its visual elements. Technical analysis has uncovered Malevich's reuse of the canvas for two prior paintings. Today, cracks in the aged paint, known as craquelure, reveal fragments of dusty yellows, vibrant reds, and faded emeralds, hinting at the various stages Malevich went through before arriving at the painting's final form. His creative process is also evident in the energetic brushstrokes, proudly displayed in a multitude of directions. Fragments of hair and Malevich's fingerprints are even ingrained in the paint, adding both metaphorical and literal texture to the work.

The Artistic Journey of Kazimir Malevich

In many ways, the life story of Kazimir Malevich is interwoven with the narrative of the "Black Square." Born to Polish-speaking parents in Ukraine, he resided there until he saved enough money to embark on a transformative journey to Moscow in 1904.

The Birth of "Suprematism"

By 1913, Malevich was on the verge of a creative breakthrough. He came to the profound realization that even the most cutting-edge artists were still confined to portraying everyday objects. However, Malevich was irresistibly drawn to what he termed "the desert, where nothing is real except feeling." Thus, feeling became the substance of his work, culminating in the creation of the "Black Square" and the birth of a new artistic style he dubbed "Suprematism," where feeling reigned supreme.

The Radically Non-Objective "Suprematism"

Malevich achieved this through what he called non-objectivity—a departure from the realm of objects so extreme that it transcended abstraction. He believed that the simplification and distortion seen in abstract art were ultimately meaningless since these styles still revolved around the portrayal of tangible objects. To him, only complete non-representation could truly be considered innovative.

Challenges and Suppression in a Changing World

While Malevich's radical approach raised eyebrows among critics, he remained resolute. Over the next decade, he elaborated on his Supremacist concepts through essays and passed them down to a new generation of artists. However, with Stalin's ascent to power in the 1920s, avant-garde approaches like Suprematism were deemed unproductive for the Communist state.

A Return to Figurative Art

In 1930, Malevich faced arrest by Soviet authorities for propagating subversive ideas. Under duress, he returned to figurative painting, depicting peasants standing robotically in stark, barren spaces. Yet even in these later works, traces of his earlier ideas remained. Gradually, the figures lost their arms and faces, disintegrating as mechanization took hold in the countryside.

A Lasting Legacy of Pure Feeling

During this challenging period, Malevich painted a self-portrait that appeared to have abandoned Suprematism entirely. However, in one corner of the painting, an open hand formed a quadrilateral, and a tiny black square was placed. This symbolized a man who had endured the trials of wars and revolutions but had never ceased striving to create a new form of art—a sanctuary of pure emotion that transcended the weight of physical objects and the suffering of a divided world.

With these insights, we unravel the enigma of Kazimir Malevich's "Black Square" and its enduring impact on the world of art.