Theories of Architecture Lecture-7- Architecture in the beginnings of 20th century 1905- 1920

SUPREMATISM

Prepared by Tara Azad Rauof

This lecture Context:

 The Origin  Characteristics of Suprematism  Influences on the movement  Greatest Suprematism Artist  Suprematism and Architecture  Famous Suprematism Architects

Suprematism [The Origin]:

Suprematism is an art movement, focused on basic geometric forms, such as circles, squares, lines, and rectangles, painted in a limited range of colors. It was founded by Kazimir Malevich in Russia, around 1913, and announced in Malevich's 1915 exhibition, The Last Futurist Exhibition of Paintings, in St. Petersburg, where he, alongside 13 other artists, exhibited 36 works in a similar style. The term Suprematism refers to an abstract art based upon "the supremacy of pure artistic feeling" rather than on visual depiction of objects.

The Non-Objective World, which was published 1927 in Munich as Bauhaus Book No. 11, Malevich clearly stated the core concept of Suprematism: Under Suprematism I understand the primacy of pure feeling in creative art. To the Suprematist, the visual phenomena of the objective world are, in themselves, meaningless; the significant thing is feeling, as such, quite apart from the environment in which it is called forth [forward in place, time, order].

Kazimir Malevich, Black Circle, motive 1915 Characteristics of Suprematism:

* A geometric style of abstract painting derived from elements of Cubism and Futurism.

* Its name derived from Malevich's belief that Suprematist art would be superior to all the art of the past, and that it would lead to the "supremacy of pure feeling or perception in the pictorial arts”.

* The using of Black, colored and white.

* Simple geometric shapes and colors.

Kazimir Malevich, Suprematist Composition- White on White, 1918 Influences on the movement:

Malevich credited the birth of suprematism to Victory Over the Sun, Futurist opera production for which he designed the sets and costumes in 1913. The aim of the artists involved was to break with the usual theater of the past and to use a "clear, pure, logical Russian language". Malevich put this to practice by creating costumes from simple materials and thereby took advantage of geometric shapes. Flashing headlights illuminated the figures in such a way that alternating hands, legs or heads disappeared into the darkness. The stage curtain was a black square. One of the drawings for the backcloth shows a black square divided diagonally into a black and a white triangle. Because of the simplicity of these basic forms they were able to signify a new beginning. Another important influence on Malevich were the ideas of the Russian mystic, philosopher, and disciple of Georges Gurdjieff, P. D. Ouspensky, who wrote of "a fourth dimension or a Fourth Way beyond the three to which our ordinary senses have access".

Greatest Suprematism Artist: 1- Kazimir Malevich 2- El Lissitzky Kazimir Malevich

Kazimir Malevich was a Russian avant-garde artist and art theorist, whose pioneering work and writing had a profound influence on the development of non-objective, or abstract art, in the 20th century.

Gradually simplifying his style, he developed an approach with key works consisting of pure geometric forms and their relationships to one another, set against minimal grounds. His Black Square (1915), a black square on white, represented the most radically abstract painting known to have been created so far and Suprematist Composition: White on White (1918), a barely differentiated off-white square superimposed on an off-white ground, would take his ideal of pure abstraction to its logical conclusion. In addition to his paintings, Malevich laid down his theories in writing, such as "From Cubism and Futurism to Suprematism" (1915) and The Non-Objective World: The Manifesto of Suprematism (1926).

Projects:

* Kazimir Malevich, Black Circle,1915

* Kazimir Malevich, Suprematist Composition- White on White, 1918

* Kazimir Malevich, Supremus No. 55, 1916

Kazimir Malevich, Supremus No. 55, 1916 Suprematism and Architecture:

Lazar Khidekel , Suprematist artist and visionary architect, was the only Suprematist architect who emerged from the Malevich circle. Khidekel started his study in architecture in Vitebsk art school. He was instrumental in the transition from planar Suprematism to volumetric Suprematism, making three-dimensional models, such as the architectons, designing objects and producing the first Suprematist architectural project (The Workers’ Club, 1926). The Suprematists also made architectural models in the 1920s which offered a different conception of socialist buildings to those developed in Constructivist architecture.

Malevich's architectural projects were known after 1922 Arkhitektoniki. Designs emphasized the right angle, with similarities to De Stijl and Le Corbusier, and were justified with an ideological connection to communist governance and equality for all.

The first Suprematist Architectural project was created by Lazar Khidekel in 1926. In the mid-1920s to 1932. He also created a series of futuristic projects such as Aero-City, Garden-City, and City over Water.

Famous Suprematism Architects: 1- Lazar Khidekel 2- Nikolai Suetin

Lazar Khidekel

Lazar Khidekel (1904-1986) is an artist, designer, visionary architect and theoretician, who are noted for realizing the abstract, avant-garde Suprematist movement through architecture.

Projects:

* Futuristic City (on poles) (1926 - 1928)

* Russian American Cultural Center, Aero-club, 1923

Nikolai Suetin

Nikolai Suetin was a Russian Suprematist artist. He worked as a graphic artist, a designer, and a ceramics painter. 1897-1954 Projects:

* Suprematist City