Malevitj Black Square and Red Square 1915, Moma NY Kazimir Malevich (1879-1935)

The painting features two geometric shapes on a beige background. At the top left, a large black square is prominently displayed. Below and to the right of the black square, a smaller red square is positioned at a slight angle, appearing to be tilted. The background is textured and appears to be canvas with subtle variations in tone, creating a sense of depth.

Subtexts: This painting, Black Square and Red Square by Kazimir Malevich, is a seminal work of Suprematism, an abstract art movement that sought to express pure artistic feeling through the use of basic geometric forms.

The black square itself is profoundly symbolic. Malevich described it as an image of the disappearance of things from the world. It can be interpreted as representing the void, the absolute, or the zero point of art, from which new forms could emerge. Its an anti-objective representation, stripping away all discernible subject matter to focus on pure form.

The red square introduces a contrasting element. Red, in art and culture, often symbolizes life, energy, passion, and revolution. Its presence alongside the black square suggests a dynamic interplay between emptiness and existence, between the void and creation. Given the historical context of Russia in 1915, a period of immense social and political upheaval leading up to the Russian Revolution, the red square could also carry connotations of revolutionary spirit and the birth of a new order.

The placement and relationship between the two squares are also significant. The black square, larger and more dominant, is placed higher, while the smaller, tilted red square is below and to the side, suggesting a potential relationship of action or reaction. The tilting of the red square introduces a sense of movement and disequilibrium, contrasting with the stability of the black square.

Overall, the painting can be seen as an exploration of fundamental concepts:

• Duality: Black and red, void and existence, stillness and movement.
• The beginning and end of artistic expression: Representing a radical departure from representational art.
• The potential for creation: Emerging from abstraction and simplicity.
• Sociopolitical undertones: Particularly the revolutionary fervor of the era.

Malevich aimed to create art that was independent of any objective reality, focusing purely on the artists sensations and geometric forms. This painting, with its stark simplicity, challenges viewers to confront pure abstraction and consider the deeper philosophical and emotional meanings embedded within basic shapes and colors.