AP Art History PowerPoint Project by Jake Schrass zzzm_malevich_black square_1915_schr

100 WELL KNOWN WORKS OF ART Interpreted Using The Feldman Model of Formal Analysis #88 Malevich, The Black Square

Feldman’s Model of Art Criticism From the work of Edmund Burke Feldman, During the late 1960’s and early 70’s 1. Description- List the visual qualities of the work that are obvious and immediate. “What do you see in the artwork”? Include content and subject matter in representational works- Include abstract elements in nonrepresentational pieces. 2. Analysis- Focus on the formal aspects of elements of art, principles of design. “How does the artist create a center of interest? How does the use of color impact the painting?” 3. Interpretation- Propose ideas for possible meaning based on evidence. “What was the artist trying to communicate”? 4. Judgment- Discuss the overall strengths/success/merit of the work. How and why has this work achieved cultural value?

Kazimir Malevich The Black Square, 1915, Suprematism, 41.7” by 41.7”, Oil on Canvas Moscow, Russia

1.DESCRIPTION a. Painting b. Oil on canvas c. 41.7” by 41.7” d. A black square, color, shape e. Symmetrical f. Planar – flat, no depth g. A black square h. One shape (black square) i. Black j. No apparent real texture/ no illusory texture k. Moscow, Russia

2.ANALYSIS a.The reformation of the Russian Government and the Russian Revolution was occurring when he painted this, and WWI was beginning. b. Emphasis of shape and color c. Symmetrical, unified, flat d. Unity in the solid color and singular shape. e. Shadowy, dark and symbolic color. f. Flat, against the picture plane g. Static composition – there is only the static square. h. The black is very dark and textured. i. The piece gives a somber, dark feeling.

3. Interpretation a.Malevich tried to create new art for new people by trying to stop Academy painters from trying to recreate real life. Instead, he tried to create art that make the new generation of people feel art. b. The work is about the death and destruction that was happening as the world tried to solve its problems, and the quest for modern happiness. c. The black square supports this interpretation.

4. Judgment a.What sets this work apart and makes it worth studying? Moodbook.comMoodbook.com b. How does this work fit into the context of what came before and after it? Hermatige MuseumHermatige Museum c. How have critics, historians, and the public reacted to this work? WTF Art HistoryWTF Art History d. How has this work changed the way art is viewed? Tate.orgTate.org

Kasimir Malevich Works Ibiblo Guggenheim.org Compare and Contrast

Term coined in 1915 by Kazimir Malevich for a new system of art, explained in his booklet Ot kubizma i futurizma k suprematizmu: Novyy zhivopisnyy realizm(‘From Cubism and Futurism to Suprematism: the new realism in painting’). The term itself implied the supremacy of this new art in relation to the past. Malevich saw it as purely aesthetic and concerned only with form, free from any political or social meaning. He stressed the purity of shape, particularly of the square, and he regarded Suprematism as primarily an exploration of visual language comparable to contemporary developments in writing. Suprematist paintings were first displayed at the exhibition Poslednyaya futuristicheskaya vystavka kartin: 0.10 (‘The last Futurist exhibition of paintings: 0.10’) held in Petrograd (now St Petersburg) in December 1915; they comprised geometric forms which appeared to float against a white background. While Suprematism began before the Revolution of 1917, its influence, and the influence of Malevich’s radical approach to art, was pervasive in the early Soviet period.Kazimir MalevichCubismFuturism Suprematism

Interesting Facts About Artist He actually created four different versions of the Black Square painting, each with its own unique texture and colors. Every time he needed the Black Square as a symbol to use in an exhibition, he created a new version. He is Russian. He was the first of 14 children, but only 9 survived. He also painted other black shapes, like this Black Circle.

References 1. Circle-large.jpghttp:// Circle-large.jpg