Black Square

For other uses, see Black Square (disambiguation).
Black Square
ArtistKazimir Malevich
Year1915
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions79.5 cm × 79.5 cm (31.3 in × 31.3 in)
LocationTretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Black Square (Russian Чёрный квадрат) is a 1915 oil on linen canvas painting by the artist Kazimir Malevich. The first of four painted versions, the original was completed in 1915 and described by the artist as his breakthrough work and the inception for the launch of his Suprematist art movement (1915–1919).[1]

A leading member of the Russian avant-garde, Malevich was born in 1878 in today's Ukraine.[2][3] In his manifesto for the Suprematist movement Malevich said the paintings were intended as "desperate struggle to free art from the ballast of the objective world" by focusing only on form.[4] He sought to create paintings that all could understand and that would have an emotional impact comparable to religious works.

The 1915 Black Square was the turning point in his career and defined the aesthetic he was to follow for the remainder of his career; his other significant paintings include variants such as White on White (1918), Black Circle (c. 1924), and Black Cross (c. 1920–23). Malevich painted three other versions; in 1923, 1929, and between the late 1920s and early 1930s. Each version differs slightly in size and texture.

The original painting was first shown at The Last Futurist Exhibition 0,10 in 1915. The last is thought to have been painted during the late 1920s or early 1930s. Malevich described the 1915 painting as the "zero point of painting"; since then, it has had a significant influence on minimalist art.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ Jakovljevic (2004), p. 19
  2. ^ Helmore, Edward. "As the Met reclassifies Russian art as Ukrainian, not everyone is convinced". The Guardian, 19 March 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2024
  3. ^ "Kazimir Malevich B. 1878, Near Kiev, Russia (Now Kyiv, Ukraine); D. 1935, Leningrad". Guggenheim. Retrieved 30 May 2024
  4. ^ Blanshard (1949). p. 4
  5. ^ Mazzoni, Ira. "Everything and Nearly Nothing: Malevich and His Effects". DeutscheBank/Art. Archived from the original on 22 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  6. ^ Schjehldahl, Peter. "The Prophet: Malevich's Revolution". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
  7. ^ Schjehldahl, Peter. "The Shape of Things:After Kazimir Malevich". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2015.