“Suprematism,” a seminal work by Kazimir Malevich from the year 1916, exemplifies the abstract art movement known as Suprematism, which he himself founded. As a genre, it prioritizes basic geometrical shapes and a limited range of colors to convey the supremacy of pure artistic feeling rather than the depiction of objects.
The artwork presents a composition of geometric shapes, including squares, rectangles, circles, and lines. These elements are arranged without a clear sense of gravity, floating against a white background that serves more as infinite space rather than a solid plane. The colors used are primarily primary and neutral—bold blacks, whites, and bright yellows, reds, and blues. Through this minimalistic vocabulary of shapes and colors, Malevich sought to explore the idea of non-objective creation, pushing beyond the bounds of representational art to focus on the pure feeling that forms can convey. The arrangement of shapes, though devoid of representational content, creates a dynamic tension within the composition, suggesting movement and balance. This distinct approach to art reflects the innovative and revolutionary spirit of early 20th-century abstract movements that sought to redefine the language and purpose of visual expression.
