Kazimir Malevichrsquo;s painting Black Square is one of the twentieth centurys emblematic paintings; the visual manifestation of a new period in world artistic culture at its inception. None of Malevichrsquo;s contemporary revolutionaries created a manifesto; an emblem; as capacious and in its own way unique as this work; it became both the quintessence of the Russian avant-gardists own artmdash;which he called Suprematismmdash;and a milestone on the highway of world art. Writing about this single painting; Aleksandra Shatskikh sheds new light on Malevich; the Suprematist movement; and the Russian avant-garde.Malevich devoted his entire life to explicating Black Squares meanings. This process engendered a great legacy: the original abstract movement in painting and its theoretical grounding; philosophical treatises; architectural models; new art pedagogy; innovative approaches to theater; music; and poetry; and the creation of a new visual environment through the introduction of decorative applied designs. All of this together spoke to the tremendous potential for innovative shape and thought formation concentrated in Black Square.To this day; many circumstances and events of the origins of Suprematism have remained obscure and have sprouted arbitrary interpretations and fictions. Close study of archival materials and testimonies of contemporaries synchronous to the events described has allowed this author to establish the true genesis of Suprematism and its principal painting.
#1561273 in eBooks 2012-11-05 2012-11-05File Name: B00A21TX4G
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Southern Art Up To A PointBy GPSouthernArtA nice try but maybe a bit rushed. The coverage of the visual arts is far from encyclopedic concentrating on a few parts of the South and emphasizing earlier periods. One would hardly know that Florida was an early magnet for artists or that Cuban and other Latin painters are an increasingly strong element of the New South. Every state has fine regionalists but this is a point that is not well made. Where is coverage of the many fine African American painters; past and present; who convey a very different experience of the South. Many parts of the South have been and are home to important contemporary artists; the Souths contribution to the language of contemporary art is important but missing here. Without belaboring the matter; this is a very incomplete overview and should be revised and expanded to do justice to the subject.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Informative but disappointingBy PennyThe beautifully illustrated volume is part of a valuable series on the South. This volume seems oddly disjointed in its approach; and the selection of artists and architects is puzzling; erratic; and small. It is weighted toward an esthetic approach grounded in style and is thus rather old fashioned and a contrast to the qualities of much of the series.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Must have volume for southern scholarsBy Addison MiznerThe folks who do these books hit a home run every time! Great to see my great state of Florida getting some notice. We are not just the land of plastic flamingos.