Black square
.docx
School
University of South Carolina**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
POLI U366
Subject
Arts & Humanities
Date
Jan 14, 2025
Pages
4
Uploaded by MasterPheasantMaster1154
Running head: WHY “BLACK SQUARE” IS A PIECE OF ART1Why “Black Square”is a Piece of ArtNameInstitution
WHY “BLACK SQUARE” IS A PIECE OF ART2Why “Black Square” is a Piece of ArtKazimir Malevich's Black Squareis a significant, influential painting of the 20th century. The painting measures 79.5 cm by 79.5cm and features a Black Squarepainted on a white surface (Jaso, 2020). Before painting the Black Square, Malevich painted in the Cubo-Futurist style that inclines towards abstraction but still identifies as the natural world. The Black Squareultimately expresses reductionism, an assertion that visual imagery can be transformed into the simplest possible form and retain relevance. Malevich proves that a painting's contents are irrelevant if it does not convey the artist's right thoughts, feelings, and observations to the audience. The Black Squareremains the gateway to the era of simple art. The Black Squareis a piece of art since it signifies a new era of art, the Russian Social Revolution, and Malevich's desire to overturn the Western Society's systems and hierarchies. The Black Squareis a unique painting that depicts a new era of art. Malevich uses the abstract approach of Suprematism to create the painting (Brautigan, 2019). Suprematism involves maintaining the supremacy of shape and color by using a limited range of colors and simple geometric shapes. This approach helps Malevich focus on the painting and avoid distractions associated with representing a person, landscape, or scene. The Black Squarearrives when people are used to seeing futurist and cubist artworks. Malevich perceives the painting as a 'zero point of the beginning' of creative opportunities for art in human history (Troncale, 2020). The Black Squareis a doorway that opens up a new way of expressing human creative energy. The Black Squareis a symbol of Russia's social revolution that took place in the early 20th century. Malevich exhibited the painting for the first time during a period of chaos. The world was in the middle of the First world war, and there was an ongoing conflict that ensued after the 1905 Russian Revolution. The revolution occurred after Russia suffered a massive
WHY “BLACK SQUARE” IS A PIECE OF ART3loss of weaponry and supplies during the First world war. The country suffered widespread economic inflation that prompted a rebellion by workers and the military. Malevich painted the Black Squareto reflect the dynamics of the social revolution (Brautigan, 2019). The painting represents the dawning of Russian's new era, from an autocracy into a constitutional government. Black Squarerepresents Malevich's desire to overturn Western Society's systems and hierarchies. Malevich got his idea for the Black Squarepainting from an opera entitled Victory over the Sun (Pearlman, 2019). Malevich and a poet named Velimier Khlebnikov stage this opera whose rationality is that the futuristic machine will capture the sun, liberate humans from nature, and lead them into new beginnings. The opera inspired Malevich's spiritual journey into his mind's depths and ultimately leads to the formulation of new ideas for the revolution of art and society. The Black Squarecontinues to evolve. Although scholars agree that the artwork represents a foresighted advancement in abstraction, the painting is still subject to different interpretations stretching across many art domains. Black Squareopens the door to a new era of simple artwork that seems symbolic and meaningless at the same time. Black Squareis a balanced image representing architectural, geometric, and aesthetic thoughts that depict Malevich's desires and hope. The artwork represents Malevich's desire to overturn the Western System and his hope for a better Russia.
WHY “BLACK SQUARE” IS A PIECE OF ART4ReferencesBrautigan, R. (2019). Revolutionary Framing: How Malevich’s Black SquareContinues to Mystify and Evolve Over Time.Jaso, J. S. (2020). Managing and manifesting memory (Doctoral dissertation, Colorado State University).Pearlman, E. (2019). The Resurgence of Russian Cosmism. PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art, 41(2), 85-92.Troncale, J. (2020). From Kazimir Malevich's «Black Square» to the «Midnight Sun» of Adi Da Samraj.