Running head: WHY BLACK IS A PIECE OF ART 1

Why Black Square is A Piece of Art

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Why Black Square is A Piece of Art

"Black Square", an iconic painting by Kazimir Malevich, is a four-variant

artwork piece replete with unique art and design elements. As regarded by many

artists as the "zero-point of painting," the work exemplifies the Suprematism era's

artistic excellence, a movement associated with primary geometric forms such as

rectangles, circles, triangles a limited application of colors. "Black Square" represent

a form of abstract art based on the supremacy of artistic expression rather than a mere

visual depiction of objects in the real or imagined world. In nearly all accounts, the

piece is an art that birthed a movement solely focused on the representation of higher

artistic creativity. Malevich's "Black Square" qualifies as an art as a product of a

renowned Suprematism era artist, depicting a befitting social context, and evident

application of elements of art

"Black Square" qualifies as art since its creator, Kazimir Malevich, was a

renowned art-theorist focused on techniques that involved geometric dimensions.

Suprematism, the artistic movement the artist belonged, was synonymous with unique

creativity in painting to produce pure non-objectivity and emptiness that invoked

varied interpretations, neither being right or wrong. The piece, a two-dimensional

representation, was created by distorting forms into geometric patterns with

overlapping angles and edges that appeared weightless and more of the creator's

thoughts than images or objects (Black Square by Kazimir Malevich, n.d). The

artwork seems more of the artist's decade long attempt to paint into existence spiritual

or divine creativity that lacks any conceivable forms in the real world. Nonetheless, it

harbors nearly all elements of artwork of the suprematism era.

The social context of the era and movement in which Malevich produced

"Black Square" reinforces its status as an art. During the revolutionary state in early
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20th century Russia, the replacement of the old order that enabled artists the freedom

to express their ideas marks the context of the piece. Malevich, a staunch government

critic, pioneered the suprematism movement and artwork to underscore their

conception as free-spirited and belonging to a higher order of citizens (Drutt, 2003).

His argument that a wrong interpretation of the "Black Square" did not exist implied

that he painted into existence his ability to express his creative freedom in more ways

than those responsible for stifling civil liberties, particularly artists freedom, could

limit. His artwork drew substantial criticism because they could punish him for

artistic representations they failed to discern. Through "Black Square", Malevich

employed his creative prowess to assert higher forms of freedom beyond government

reproach.

"Black Square" color and shape elements enable it to qualify as art. Malevich's

abstract approach to painting, albeit unique, employed conventional art elements,

although in a limited range, to allow viewers to focus more on the painting's substance

itself. Malevich's approach to applying artistic elements encouraged analyzing beyond

the scene, landscape, or objects represented in canvas to abstract forms (Five ways to

look at Malevich's Black Square, n.d). The arrangement of the elements and using

lighting to represent non-objectivity or emptiness marked the transition from classic

to suprematism painting among Russian Artists. The evident application by Malevich

in "Black Square" qualifies it as art.

Malevich's "Black Square" qualifies as art as a product of a renowned

Suprematism era artist, depicting a befitting social context and evident application of

elements of art. The iconic painting is subject to diverse interpretation since its

publication. Still, the most common perception is that it represents a shift in how

artists expressed abstract thoughts and new ways of life. Its era of creation, color and
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shape techniques employed by the author, and his artistic reputation all reinforce the

piece's view as an exemplary art piece.

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References

Black Square by Kazimir Malevich (n.d). Go High Brow. Retrieved from

https://gohighbrow.com/black-square-by-kazimir-malevich/

Drutt, M. (2003). Kazimir Malevich: Suprematism. Nueva York: Guggenheim

Museum.

Five ways to look at Malevich's Black Square (n.d). Tate. Retrieved from

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/kazimir-malevich-1561/five-ways-look-

malevichs-black-square
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