Where does Malevich's "Black Square" hang?
- In the Tretyakov Gallery.
- The original Black Square by Kazimir Malevich (1915) is in the State Russian Museum.
- The first and third are kept in the Tretyakov Gallery, the second - in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.
The painting inherited by the Hermitage is Malevich's fourth Black Square. After the exhibition of 1932 - 1933 Artists of the RSFSR for 13 years, it was assumed that it was kept at Malevich's house. And then the picture surfaced at the sale of Inkombank, which at one time bought the picture from a certain private person. - Kazimir Malevich once decided that he could put an end to the development of painting. He succeeded, he created the most famous of his masterpieces.
The Black Square painting was exhibited in 1915. The masterpiece became a kind of manifesto of the new direction of Suprematism - the image of geometric figures painted in pure local colors and immersed in a kind of white abyss, where the laws of dynamics and statics dominated. By the way, Malevich himself composed the name of the new phenomenon.
The black square appeared to the public at the exhibition O, 10, among 39 more canvases, it was in the so-called red corner, where icons were located in an ordinary house.
Many critics called Malevich an anarchist and argued that his painting is the icon that the futurists put in place of the Madonna. The artist said that by painting this picture, he completely completed the development of world painting. The point in the history of this type of art, according to the Polish genius, turned out to be a rather large canvas 53.5 by 53.5 cm, painted over with black oil paint.
Audacity and undoubted skill instantly put Malevich on the same level with da Vinci, Vrubel, and other famous artists. True, even after the Black Square Polish artist continued to create.
We can talk here about this canvas, about its dating, about how it relates to other versions of the "Black Square". As far as I know, there were four in total. At the same time, I do not exclude that others still remain unidentified and unknown. I can assume that somewhere (a lot is being written about Malevich now - both here and abroad) some new data have appeared that I did not keep track of. But for now, it seems to me, with full certainty, we can talk about four. The first one is in Tretyakov Gallery. Its dimensions are 79.5x79.5. He entered the gallery in 1929 from the Museum of Painting Culture. It is he who is depicted in the famous photographs of the exposition of the exhibition "0.10" hanging like an icon in the "red corner" of the hall (ill. 1). It was exhibited among 39 other Suprematist works by Malevich. The time of its creation can be considered proven - 1915, although Malevich himself dated all his "Black Squares" to 1913 on the basis that this plastic element, which then became almost a symbol of painting of the twentieth century, appeared in his sketches for the scenery of the opera "Victory over the sun", staged in 1913. The second "Black Square" (106x106) was created approximately in 1923 - during the preparation of the Soviet section of the Venice Biennale exhibition, where it was shown along with two other paintings - "Cross" and "Circle", also reproducing the fundamental Suprematist forms (illus. .5-7). All three paintings were painted by Malevich's students Suetin, Leporskaya and Rozhdestvensky, but signed by Malevich. On the back, the date is again inscribed in his hand - 1913. And on the stretcher there is a mark "1". I will immediately stipulate that this numbering has nothing to do with the "2nd" mark on our version. Numbers 1, 2 and 3 Malevich designated "Square", "Cross" and "Circle", intended for the Venice exhibition. This version, like "Cross" and "Circle", are in the Russian Museum and got there in 1977, along with a large number of other works by Malevich from his heirs ("for temporary storage"). It is this "Square" that we see in the photographs of 1935 above the coffin of the artist in his apartment. The third option brings us back to the Tretyakov Gallery. In size (80x80), it approaches the first one, exceeding it by 0.5 cm in height and width. But the proportional ratio of white and black is somewhat shifted - the white stripes along the edges are a little narrower. On the back - again the date "1913" and an indication that the "initial element" appeared in the opera "Victory over the Sun". This option, not without reason, dates back to 1929 - the time of the artist's solo exhibition in the Tretyakov Gallery. But he entered the Tretyakov Gallery in 1934. As for the solo exhibition in the gallery, as far as I know from
- there are four of them in general, one in the Tretyakov Gallery on the Crimean shaft, where post-revolutionary art is still in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg
- In the Tretyakov Gallery
- In every school in every class ... the originals hang, and Malevich simply copied
- Roofing felts in the Hermitage, roofing felts in the Tretyakov Gallery
Early 20th century, France. First World War. Scientific and technical progress. In such a radical time, avant-gardism appears - a set of trends that change the essence of art radically, produce a revolution in it, while simultaneously encroaching on a complete change of traditions in society. The avant-garde reaches its climax in Russia through abstractionism.
Abstractionism is an avant-garde trend, the most controversial among the rest. Henri Matisse, french artist and the sculptor, once uttered a phrase that became the key to understanding impressionism and avant-garde together: "Accuracy is not yet true".
To explain abstractionism briefly, it is painting without recognizable images. It can be color and geometric, and strives for a certain idea - the liberation of color and form from substantive validity, motivation. It is enough to look around and understand that abstraction is everywhere. Pure blue sky. We look up and see only color. Sunset. Highlights and shadows are color and geometry. Sea. Forest. Even wallpaper, table. All this is an abstraction.
Classical artists, like Ilya Repin and Ivan Shishkin, attracted color and geometry to the world of things, depicted them in objects, objects. abstract painting it is created according to a different principle, according to the principle of harmonizing color and shape as they are.
It all started with Wassily Kandinsky and Kazimir Malevich, we will talk about them today.
In 1910 Kandinsky painted a picture « Cossacks » . Before abstractionism remains half a step.
Later, Kandinsky decides, on the example of this plot motif, to finally break away from imagery and paints a picture « Improvisation 26 » . He not only removes the image of the Cossacks, the house, the rainbow, but also removes the label from the picture - now these are not Cossacks, this is just improvisation. There are no hints of who and what may be in the picture.
The title is now blurry, the categories are also blurry. Why is this happening? Because the name usually makes it difficult to understand the picture, prompts the search for images, associations. And the abstract artist is trying to get away from figurativeness. You just need to see the color.
Kandinsky wrote a brochure "On the Spiritual in Art", after reading which, abstractionism, as a phenomenon, will become more understandable.
Malevich called abstractionism in his own way - Suprematism (from Latin supremus - « highest"). Before the famous "Black Square" he went by minimizing objects in his paintings.
79.5 cm by 79.5 cm is an absolute square. Malevich's painting is an icon of the avant-garde.
The most big mistake in dealing with this picture - we look at it with the eyes with which we look at the paintings of William Turner or Theodore Gericault (approx. artists of the era of romanticism). « Black Square” is not a painting, it is a manifesto enclosed in the form of a black square. Here the act of the artist should be admired - that he called it a painting in 1915. After all, he painted absolutely nothing. The main thing is neither color, nor paint, nor drawing, but the idea is the disintegration of traditional art. « Black Square sobered the minds of artists and rebooted art.
By the way, music also has a kind of "Black Square" - this is a famous piece of the 20th century, which was written by John Cage and called "4:33". He went on stage, announced the work, sat down and was silent for exactly 4 minutes 33 seconds. Many people think that this is a hymn to silence, but it is not. “4:33” is the natural sound of the surrounding world, the sound in its purest form, since the silence in the hall was constantly interrupted by rustling and coughing, some kind of creaking, and even breathing. Cage thus told people that the sound should not add up to a melody.
The art of abstractionism is quite difficult to perceive, because very often you can hear exclamations from the series: “I can also draw just a black square!”. Yes, they can, but at that time Malevich took a huge and bold step forward by calling his ill-fated “Black Square” a painting. It was a breakthrough, no one had done this before. In the "Black Square" you should not look for a deep philosophical sense. It's just "not a picture" that turned the world of art upside down, revolutionized and led a new generation of artists.
We answered the 12 most popular questions: where is the original, why did Malevich draw it, and why the picture cannot be repeated.
There are works of art that everyone knows. For the sake of these paintings, tourists stand in long lines in any weather, and then, getting inside, they simply take a selfie in front of them. However, if you ask a tourist who has strayed from the group why he is so eager to look at the masterpiece, he is unlikely to explain why he suffered, pushed and suffered with the focal length. Often the fact is that due to the constant informational noise around a particular work, its very essence is forgotten. Our task in the rubric "Great and incomprehensible" is to remember why everyone should go to the Hermitage, the Louvre and the Uffizi.
The first painting in our section was Kazimir Malevich's Black Square. It is perhaps the most famous and controversial work of Russian art, and at the same time the most recognizable in the West. So, in London there is now a large-scale exhibition, dedicated to creativity artist. The main exhibit was, of course, the Black Square. It can even be argued that European critics Russian art associated not with Karl Bryullov and Ilya Repin, but with Malevich. At the same time, unfortunately, few visitors to the Tretyakov Gallery or the Hermitage can clearly say why this painting is so famous. Today we will try to fix it.
Kazimir Malevich (1879 - 1935) "Self-portrait". 1933
1. It's not"Black square", a"Black square on a white background"
And this is important. This fact is worth remembering, like the Pythagorean theorem: it is unlikely to be useful in life, but it is somehow indecent not to know it.
K.Malevich "Black square on a white background." 1915 Stored in the Tretyakov Gallery
2. It's not a square
At first, the artist called his painting "Quadrangular", which is confirmed by linear geometry: there are no right angles, the sides are not parallel to each other, and the lines themselves are uneven. Thus, he created a movable form. Although, of course, he knew how to use the ruler.
3. Why did Malevich draw a square?
In his memoirs, the artist writes that he did it unconsciously. However, the development of artistic thought can be traced in his paintings.
Malevich worked as a draftsman. It is not surprising that at first he was fascinated by cubism with its regular forms. For example, the picture of 1914 is “Composition with Mona Lisa”. Black and white rectangles already appear here.
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Left - Kazimir Malevich "Composition with Mona Lisa". On the right - Leonardo da Vinci "Mona Lisa", she is "Gioconda"
Then, when creating scenery for the opera "Victory over the Sun", the idea of a square as an independent element appeared. However, the painting "Black Square" appeared only two years later.
4. Why a square?
Malevich believed that the square is the basis of all forms. If you follow the artist's logic, the circle and the cross are already secondary elements: the rotation of the square forms a circle, and the movement of white and black planes - a cross.
The paintings "Black Circle" and "Black Cross" were painted simultaneously with the "Black Square". Together they formed the basis of a new art system, but the dominance has always been behind the square.
"Black Square" - "Black Circle" - "Black Cross"
5. Why is the square black?
For Malevich, black is a mixture of all existing colors, while white is the absence of any color. Although, this is completely contrary to the laws of optics. Everyone remembers how they told at school that black absorbs the rest, and white connects the entire spectrum. And then we did experiments with lenses, looking at the resulting rainbow. But with Malevich, the opposite is true.
6. What is Suprematism and how to understand it?
Malevich founded a new direction in art in the mid-1910s. He called it Suprematism, which means "the highest" in Latin. That is, in his opinion, this trend should have become the pinnacle of all creative searches for artists.
Suprematism is easy to recognize: various geometric figures combined into one dynamic, usually asymmetrical composition.
K.Malevich "Suprematism". 1916
An example of one of the artist's many Suprematist compositions.
What does it mean? Such forms are usually perceived by the viewer as children's multi-colored cubes scattered across the floor. Agree, you can not draw the same trees and houses for two thousand years. Art must find new forms of expression. And they are not always clear to ordinary people. For example, the canvases of the Little Dutchmen were once revolutionary and deeply conceptual. Life philosophy was displayed through objects on still lifes. However, now they are perceived more as beautiful pictures, the modern viewer simply does not think about deep meaning works.
Jan Davidsz de Heem "Breakfast with fruit and lobster". Second quarter of the 17th century.
Each element in Dutch still lifes bears a certain symbolic meaning. For example, lemon is a symbol of moderation.
This coherent system collapses upon acquaintance with the paintings of the avant-garde artists. The system "beautiful - not beautiful", "realistic - not realistic" does not work here. The viewer has to think what these strange lines and circles on the canvas can mean. Although, in fact, there is no less sense in lemons in Dutch still lifes, just museum visitors are not forced to solve it. In the paintings of the 20th century, one must immediately understand the idea of a work of art, which is much more difficult.
7. Was it only Malevich who was so smart?
Malevich was not the first artist to create such paintings. Many masters of France, England and Russia were close to comprehending non-objective art. So, Mondrian in 1913 - 1914 created geometric compositions, and the Swedish artist Hilma af Klint painted the so-called color charts.
Hilma af Klint. From the SUW series (Stars and the Universe). 1914 - 1915 years.
However, it was from Malevich that geometry acquired a clear philosophical overtone. His idea clearly followed from the previous artistic movement - cubism, where objects are divided into geometric shapes, and each of them is painted separately. In Suprematism, they stopped depicting the original form, the artists switched to pure geometry.
Pablo Picasso "Three Women" 1908
example of cubism. Here the artist has not yet abandoned the prototype form - human body. The figures are similar to the work of a sculptor-carpenter who seems to have created his work with an axe. Each "slice" of the sculpture is painted over with a shade of red and does not go beyond the borders.
8. How can a square be movable?
Despite the outward static character, this picture is considered one of the most dynamic in the history of the Russian avant-garde.
As conceived by the artist, the black square symbolizes pure form, and White background- infinite space. Malevich used the adjective "dynamic" to indicate that this form is in space. It's like a planet in the universe.
So the background and form are inseparable from each other: Malevich wrote that "the most important thing in Suprematism is two foundations - the energy of black and white, which serve to reveal the form of action." (Malevich K. Collected works in 5 volumes. M., 1995. Volume 1. P. 187)
9. Why does Black Square have two creation dates?
The canvas was created in 1915, although the author himself wrote 1913 on the reverse side. This was done, apparently, in order to outperform their competitors and assert primacy in the creation of the Suprematist composition. In fact, in 1913 the artist was engaged in the design of the opera "Victory over the Sun", and in his sketches, indeed, there was a black square as a symbol of this victory.
But in painting, the idea was embodied only in 1915. The painting was presented at the avant-garde exhibition "0, 10", and the artist placed it in the red corner, the place where icons usually hang in an Orthodox house. With this step, Malevich proclaimed the significance of the canvas and turned out to be right: the painting became a turning point in the development of the avant-garde.
Photo taken at the exhibition "0, 10". "Black Square" hangs in the red corner
10. Why is there a "Black Square" in both the Hermitage and the Tretyakov Gallery?
Malevich several times addressed the theme of the square, since for him it is the most important Suprematist form, after which, in order of importance, come the circle and the cross.
There are four "Black Squares" in the world, but they are not complete copies of each other. They differ in size, proportions and time of creation.
"Black square". 1923 Stored in the Russian Museum
The second "Black Square" was created in 1923 for the Venice Biennale. Then, in 1929, especially for his solo exhibition, the artist creates a third painting. It is believed that the director of the museum asked for it, because the original of 1915 had already been covered with a network of cracks, craquelure. The artist did not like the idea, he refused, but then changed his mind. So the world has become one square more.
"Black square". 1929 Stored in the Tretyakov Gallery
The last repetition was supposedly created in 1931. No one knew about the existence of the fourth option, until in 1993 a certain citizen came to the Samara branch of Inkombank and left this picture on bail. The mysterious lover of painting was never seen again: he never returned for the canvas. The painting became owned by the bank. But not for long: he went bankrupt in 1998. The painting was bought and transferred to the Hermitage for safekeeping.
"Black square". Early 1930s. Stored in the Hermitage
So, the first painting of 1915 and the third version of 1929 are kept in the Tretyakov Gallery, the second version is in the Russian Museum, and the last one is in the Hermitage.
11. How did contemporaries react to the "Black Square"?
If there is no longer any hope for understanding Malevich's work, do not be sad. Even the followers of the Russian avant-garde artist did not fully understand the deep intention of the artist. The diaries of one of the master's contemporaries, Vera Pestel, have survived to our time. She writes:
“Malevich simply painted a square and painted it all over with pink paint, and with another black paint, and then many more squares and triangles of different colors. His room was smart, all motley, and it was good for the eye to move from one color to another - everything is different. geometric shape. How calm it was to look at different squares, nothing was thought, nothing was wanted. The pink color was pleasing, and next to it, black was also pleasing. And we liked it. We also became Suprematists.” (Malevich about himself. Contemporaries about Malevich. Letters. Documents. Memoirs. Criticism. In 2 volumes. M., 2004. Volume 1. P. 144-145)
It's like saying about the still lifes of the small Dutch - why think about it.
However, there are more insightful remarks. Despite the fact that not everyone understood the philosophical subtext of the canvas, its significance was nevertheless appreciated. Andrei Bely said this about Suprematism:
“The history of painting and all these Vrubels in front of such squares is zero!” (Malevich about himself. Contemporaries about Malevich. Letters. Documents. Memoirs. Criticism. In 2 volumes. M., 2004. Volume 1. P. 108).
Alexander Benois, the founder of the World of Art movement, was extremely outraged by Malevich's antics, but he still understood the significance that the painting had acquired:
“The black square in a white frame is the “icon” that the futurists offer instead of Madonnas and shameless Venuses. Is not simple joke, not a simple challenge, but one of the acts of self-affirmation of that beginning, which has its name in the abomination of desolation ... ". (Benoit A. The last futuristic exhibition. From "Malevich about himself ...". V.2. P.524)
In general, the picture made a double impression on the artist's contemporaries.
12. Why can't I draw Black Square and become famous?
You can draw, but you won't be able to become famous. Meaning contemporary art not only to create something completely new, but also to present it correctly.
For example, black squares were painted even before Malevich. In 1882, Paul Bielhold created a painting with the politically incorrect title "The Night Fight of the Negroes in the Basement." Even earlier, in the 17th century, the English artist Flood painted The Great Darkness. But it was the Russian avant-garde artist who marked the new philosophy with a picture and exploited it for several decades. Can you do that? Then go ahead.
Robert Flood "The Great Darkness" 1617.
Paul Bielhold "Negro Night Fight in the Basement". 1882
Alexandra Plotnikova
A century-long joke: specialists from the Tretyakov Gallery spoke in detail about the secrets of the famous "Black Square" by Kazimir Malevich. The picture is already a hundred years old, and it is still impossible to say that the general public understands it well. Even art critics, and they argue. The discussion is also fueled by new facts that have become known to specialists. The name of the painting was originally completely different, and under the layers of paint - two more paintings.
Sensational study details and unique footage. Employees of the Tretyakov Gallery filmed how they looked into the "Black Square", said. In the x-rays under the picture, complexly interconnected geometric figures are clearly visible. This is a completely different picture. Yes, not one, but two, experts say. And both are colored.
The fact that the "Black Square" is not simple, but there is another image inside, was already known in the nineties of the last century, after the first studies. But the technology did not allow to understand what exactly was there. Now, in the year of the centenary of the painting, experts have resumed their work with the help of digital equipment. Not only paintings were found.
“Most importantly, in addition to two compositions, we found fingerprints, presumably by Malevich himself, because they are embedded right on the wet layer, these are mostly white field areas,” said Ekaterina Voronina, researcher at the Tretyakov Gallery’s scientific expertise department.
We also found an inscription. True, Malevich's handwriting is not easy. But the experts deciphered: "The battle of blacks in a dark cave." Now they consider this an absentee dialogue between the artist and his predecessors. As early as the end of the nineteenth century, black rectangles appeared "The Night Fight of Negroes in the Basement" by Paul Bielhold, and then by Alphonse Allais.
One thing is clear - Malevich's creative process was complex. But the version that he simply sketched the failed works in black paint in his hearts is refuted by new studies.
"This is a complex paint, which consists of several substances. Among them, for example, burnt bone, black carbon-containing pigment and chalk. That is, he prepared this paint. It was not spontaneous - squeezed out, wrote - but still he thought how it will look like," said Ekaterina Voronina.
“This is such a special combination of pigments that gives a special velvety effect that Malevich needed. Because he needed not just black, but a deep black abyss,” added Zelfira Tregulova, general director of the Tretyakov Gallery.
This is not only one of the most mysterious paintings in the world, but also one of the most expensive. Will the "Black Square" become even more expensive, because now there is not one picture, but three - the question. But the fact that interest in him will not disappear is absolutely certain. In the Tretyakov Gallery, an infrared image of the painting may also appear. However, the fact that this is not quite the "Black Square" is visible even to the naked eye.
Julia Bogomanshina, Alexandra Sergomasova, Dmitry Sharakin, "TV Center"
Subsequently, Malevich, for various purposes, performed several author's repetitions of the Black Square. Now four variants of the Black Square are already known, differing in pattern, texture and color. Numerous drawings by Malevich with a black square are also known (many of them have comments emphasizing the role of the square as a key element of Suprematism). The square is also included in Malevich's Suprematist multi-figured compositions.
The first painting "Black Square", the original, from which the author's repetitions were subsequently made, is traditionally considered the very work that hung at the exhibition "0.10", is stored in the Tretyakov Gallery. The painting is a canvas measuring 79.5 by 79.5 centimeters, which depicts a black square on a white background.
The second "Black Square" became part of a triptych (along with it duplicates of the "Circle" and "Cross" were created), executed around 1923, to be exhibited at the Venice Biennale. The dimensions of the second version are 106 by 106 cm. All parts of the triptych of 1923 differed from the original of 1915 both in size and proportions; these were completely new "Square", "Circle" and "Cross". It is believed that the painting was painted with the participation of Kazimir Malevich himself and his closest students - Anna Leporskaya, Konstantin Rozhdestvensky and Nikolai Suetin. In March 1936, along with other 80 paintings by Malevich, these three works were transferred by his wife, N. A. Malevich, to the Russian Museum.
The third version of the picture is an exact repetition of the author's main work - the first "Black Square" (also 79.5 by 79.5 cm in size). It was written by K. S. Malevich in 1929 for his personal exhibition, which was being prepared at the Tretyakov Gallery. “According to legend, this was done at the request of the then deputy director of the State Tretyakov Gallery, Alexei Fedorov-Davydov, due to the poor condition of the Black Square in 1915 (craquelure appeared on the picture) ... The artist painted it directly in the halls of the museum; and at work I allowed myself minor changes in proportions so that the paintings do not look like absolute twins.
The fourth version could have been painted in 1932, its size is 53.5 by 53.5 cm. It became known much later, in 1993, when a person whose name remains unnamed and known only to Inkombank brought the picture to the Samara branch of Inkombank as collateral for a loan. Subsequently, the owner did not claim the painting, and it became the property of the bank. After the ruin of Inkombank in 1998, Malevich's painting became the main asset in settlements with creditors. The president auction house"Gelos", Oleg Stetsyura, claimed that before the auction he had several bids for the purchase of "Black Square", and if "the painting entered the international market, the price would reach $ 80 million." By agreement with the Russian government, "Black Square" was withdrawn from public auction and was purchased by Russian billionaire Vladimir Potanin in 2002 for 1 million US dollars (about 28 million rubles), and then was transferred to them for storage in State Hermitage. Thus, the "Black Square" has become a kind of measure of financial success.