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Overview
What is Suprematism?
c. 1915 – 1920sPeriod
RussiaBegan in
12Key artists on this page
8Works with free images
6Museums to visit
Suprematism (Russian: супремати́зм) is an early 20th-century art movement focused on the fundamentals of geometry (circles, squares, rectangles), painted in a limited range of colors. The term suprematism refers to an abstract art based upon "the supremacy of pure artistic feeling" rather than on the figurative depiction of real-life subjects. Founded by Russian artist Kazimir Malevich in 1913, Supremus (Russian: Супремус) conceived of the artist as liberated from everything that predetermined the ideal structure of life and art.From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Original Art Movements text
This is the text that appeared on this page on the original Art Movements site. It is kept for reference; some statements are simplified or out of date. Where it differs from the overview, characteristics and dates above, which are checked against Wikipedia and Wikidata, trust those instead.
Russian art movement founded (1913) by Casimir Malevich in Moscow, parallel to constructivism. Malevich drew Alexander Rodchenko and El Lissitsky (1890-1947) to his revolutionary, nonobjective art. In Malevich’s words, suprematism sought “to liberate art from the ballast of the representational world. It consisted of geometrical shapes flatly painted on the pure canvas surface. Malevich’s white square on a white ground (Mus. of Modern Art, New York City) embodied the movement’s principles. Suprematism, through its dissemination by the Bauhaus, deeply influenced the development of modern European art, architecture, and industrial design.
Black Square (1915) by Kazimir Malevich, 1915 · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Period
c. 1915 – 1920s
Began in
Russia
Founded by
Kazimir Malevich
Key artists
Kazimir Malevich, El Lissitzky, Alexander Rodchenko, Nadezhda Udaltsova
Related
Constructivism, Futurism, Cubism
How to recognise it
Key characteristics of Suprematism
Pure geometric forms: squares, circles, crosses and rectangles
A limited range of colours
Shapes floating on a white ground
Rejection of the depiction of objects
Aim of 'the supremacy of pure feeling' in art
Timeline
When was Suprematism?
Suprematism is usually dated c. 1915 – 1920s, beginning in Russia. Dates for art movements are approximate: artists joined and left, and styles overlapped.
Each bar shows an artist's life; the shaded band is the main period of Suprematism.
Ivan Kliun
Kazimir Malevich
Nadezhda Udaltsova
Olga Rozanova
Lyubov Popova
El Lissitzky
Ivan Haŭrys
Alexander Rodchenko
Paul Mansouroff
Michaś Filipovič
Ilya Chashnik
Lazar Khidekel
Suprematism
1873–1943
1879–1935
1885–1961
1886–1918
1889–1924
1890–1941
1890–1937
1891–1956
1896–1983
1896–1947
1902–1929
1904–1986
188019001920194019601980
Who
Key Suprematism artists
Artists linked to Suprematism in Wikidata, ordered by how widely they are covered on Wikipedia. Artists marked Art Icons have a full profile on our sister site.
Kazimir Malevich's abstract art of pure geometric forms.
When was Suprematism?
Suprematism: c. 1915 – 1920s. It began in Russia. Dates for art movements are approximate.
What are the main characteristics of Suprematism?
Pure geometric forms: squares, circles, crosses and rectangles; A limited range of colours; Shapes floating on a white ground; Rejection of the depiction of objects; Aim of 'the supremacy of pure feeling' in art.
Who are the most famous Suprematism artists?
Kazimir Malevich, El Lissitzky, Alexander Rodchenko, Nadezhda Udaltsova, Lyubov Popova.
What are some famous Suprematism works?
Black Square (1915) by Kazimir Malevich; Suprematist Composition: White on White by Kazimir Malevich; Red Square by Kazimir Malevich; Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge by El Lissitzky; Green Line by Olga Rozanova.
Where can I see Suprematism art?
Museum of Modern Art (New York, United States), Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow, Russia), Russian Museum (Saint Petersburg), Museum-Preserve «Rostov Kremlin» (Rostov Veliky, Russia), Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts (Russia) hold works shown on this page.
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