Suprematism

byDipika Gurnaney

Suprematism was developed in 1913 by the Russian artist Kazimir Malevich. It was first formally announced in 1915 during his exhibition, The Last Futurist Exhibition of Paintings 0.10 in St Petersburg, where 36 works in a similar style were exhibited by 14 artists. The movement is closely tied to the revolutionary atmosphere in Russia. Malevich’s oil-on-linen masterpiece ‘Black Square’ became its emblem.

Suprematist Composition | Images Source: wikipedia.org

Origin of Suprematism

Suprematism is one of the earliest and most radical developments in abstract art. It is characterised by basic geometric forms such as circles, squares, lines and rectangles, painted using a limited range of colours. Malevich believed there was a thin line between words, signs and objects and this philosophy shaped his abstract style. Artists practising Suprematism encouraged the use of simple motifs to highlight the flat surface of the canvas, often emphasising texture, as seen in Malevich’s ‘Black Square’. The movement influenced many Russian artists, including El Lissitsky, Ilya Chashnik, Lazar Khidekel, Alexandra Exter, Lyubov Popova and Sergei Senkin.

Characteristics of Suprematism

Suprematism concerned itself with elementary geometric forms like squares and circles.
Forms were arranged to float against white backgrounds, giving a sense of weightlessness and infinite space.
Suprematists tried to get rid of paintings that looked like the real world.
Suprematism banished complex expressionism and established a simple form of art making.
Emphasis was placed on flatness and surface texture, rejecting the use of perspective or the illusion of depth.

FAMOUS ARTISTS AND THEIR WORKS

SUPREMATIST COMPOSITION (1916) — KAZIMIR MALEVICH

This artwork features dynamic arrangements of rectangles and geometric shapes in bold colours, floating on a white background. It represents the peak of Suprematism, rejecting realism and focussing on pure sensation through balance, tension and abstract form.

BLACK SQUARE (1915) — KAZIMIR MALEVICH

Often referred to as the ‘zero point of painting’, a landmark in the history of abstract art, this artwork removed any sense of space, object or perspective, reducing art to its most essential form. Malevich painted four versions (1915-1930); the last one was placed in his coffin.

BEAT THE WHITES WITH THE RED WEDGE (1919) — EL LISSITZKY

This famous Suprematist propaganda poster was created during the Russian Civil War. The red wedge symbolises the Bolsheviks, while the white circle stands for their enemies. It uses simple geometric forms to convey a strong political message, showing how Suprematism could move beyond the canvas into design, architecture and propaganda.

Identifying Suprematism

Paintings were entirely geometric in style.
Works often used a limited palette of primary colours (red, blue, yellow) along with black and white.
They didn’t have any visual highlights such as humans or objects.

Dipika Gurnaney studied at the Sir JJ School of Fine Arts and is a recipient of a scholarship from the Pont Aven School of Contemporary Art in France. Dipika has been teaching children art since 2002.