Suprematism

Some art uses simple shapes.

An artist named Kazimir Malevich started this style. He used circles and squares. He used only a few colors.

This art is not about real things. It is about pure feelings. The shapes help show those feelings.

One famous painting was a black square. He also made art with white paint. It was very new.

Artists even used these shapes for theater. They made costumes from simple parts. It was a way to start something new.

Suprematism is a special kind of art. It began in Russia in 1913. An artist named Kazimir Malevich started it. He wanted to focus on pure feeling. This art does not show real things like trees or people. Instead, it uses simple shapes. These shapes include circles, squares, and rectangles. Artists also used only a few colors.

Malevich led a group of many artists. They met to talk about new ideas. They even tried to make a magazine called Supremus. They wanted to share art, music, and books.

One very famous painting was called the Black Square. Malevich showed it in a big art show in 1915. He also painted a work called White on White. This used only one color. This art even helped with theater. Artists made costumes using geometric shapes. They wanted a new way to tell stories. Later, artists like El Lissitzky shared these ideas with the world. Some artists even used these shapes to design buildings and teapots. They wanted to build a new future with art.

Suprematism is a unique type of abstract art. It focuses on the supremacy of pure feeling. This means the art does not show real objects. Instead, it uses simple geometric shapes. Artists use circles, squares, and rectangles. They often use only a few colors. This style was a way to find a new kind of truth. It moved away from painting things like people or trees.

Making this art involves a very specific way of thinking. Artists use a special grammar of shapes. The square and the circle are the most important. Some artists even moved from many colors to just one color. This is called monochrome art. A famous example is a painting called White on White. This style can also be used in other ways. It helped design theater costumes made of simple materials. It even helped shape objects like a Suprematist teapot.

Kazimir Malevich founded this movement in 1913. He was a Russian artist who wanted to free art. He led a group of many avant-garde artists. These included people like Olga Rozanova and Liubov Popova. They tried to start a journal called Supremus. It was meant to cover art, music, and books. However, the Russian Revolution stopped the first issue from being sent out. Malevich also found ideas in a theater production called Victory Over the Sun.

In 1915, Malevich held a big art show in St. Petersburg. It was called the Last Futurist Exhibition of Paintings 0,10. He showed 36 works in this new style. His most famous painting was the Black Square. He placed it in a special corner of the room. This corner is a traditional spot for icons in Russian homes. Another artist, El Lissitzky, helped spread these ideas to the West. He worked on Proun designs between 1919 and 1923.

Suprematism changed how people thought about building things. An artist named Lazar Khidekel used these shapes for architecture. He created models for a City on the Water in 1925. He wanted people to live in harmony with nature. Other artists used these shapes for porcelain at a factory. Even modern architects like Zaha Hadid studied these Russian ideas. Suprematism shows how simple shapes can build a whole new vision.

Suprematism is a radical form of abstract art from the early 20th century. It focuses on the "supremacy of pure artistic feeling." This means the art does not try to show real-life subjects like people or trees. Instead, it relies on the fundamentals of geometry. Artists use shapes like circles, squares, and rectangles. They often work with a very limited range of colors. This movement was a way to liberate art from the structures of everyday life.

To create Suprematist works, artists follow a specific visual "grammar." This grammar is built upon fundamental geometric forms. The square and the circle are the most important elements in this system. Some artists move from using many colors, known as polychrome, to using only one color. This shift is called monochrome Suprematism. A famous example is the painting "White on White." This style can also be applied to other things. It has been used to design theater costumes and even simple objects like a teapot.

Kazimir Malevich founded the movement in 1913. He was a Russian artist who wanted to break away from previous art history. He led a group of Russian avant-garde artists. This group included Aleksandra Ekster, Liubov Popova, and Olga Rozanova. They even tried to start a monthly journal called "Supremus." The journal was meant to discuss painting, music, and literature. However, the Russian Revolution prevented the first issue from ever being distributed.

Malevich found inspiration in several unique places. He designed sets and costumes for a Futurist opera called "Victory Over the Sun." In this production, he used simple materials to create geometric shapes. He also drew influence from the philosopher P. D. Ouspensky. Ouspensky wrote about a "fourth dimension" that exists beyond our ordinary senses. Some Suprematist paintings even used titles that suggested non-Euclidean geometry. These titles described forms that seemed to be in a state of movement through time.

In 1915, the movement was officially announced at a large exhibition. It was called the "Last Futurist Exhibition of Paintings 0,10" in St. Petersburg. Malevich and his group exhibited 36 works in this new style. The centerpiece was the "Black Square." Malevich placed this painting in the "red/beautiful corner" of the room. In Russian Orthodox tradition, this is the special place where a house's main icon is kept. This placement suggested the painting was a major breakthrough for art.

Suprematism is very different from a related movement called Constructivism. Constructivism is concerned with being "utilitarian," which means being useful for practical tasks. Constructivists wanted to turn artists into engineers who could organize life. In contrast, Suprematism is anti-materialist and anti-utilitarian. It does not focus on humanism or placing humans at the center of the universe. Instead, it views the artist as a transmitter of "absolute non-objectivity."

Many artists helped spread these ideas. El Lissitzky was a key figure who brought Suprematism to the West. Between 1919 and 1923, he created "Proun" constructions. He described these as a station where one moves from painting to architecture. The term "Proun" stands for "Pro Unovis." Another artist, Lazar Khidekel, moved the movement into three dimensions. He created "architectons," which were three-dimensional models. He even designed futuristic projects like a "City on the Water" in 1925.

Even as political changes occurred in Russia, the influence of Suprematism remained. In 1934, the state made "Socialist Realism" the official policy. This policy prohibited abstract art. Malevich still held onto his ideas. In a 1933 self-portrait, he painted himself in a traditional style to follow the rules. However, he signed the work with a tiny black-and-white square. This small detail showed his lasting connection to Suprematism.