Kazimir Malevich, a Russian avant-garde artist, created the Black Circle painting in 1915. As an oil-on-canvas artwork, this piece represents a large black circle perfectly floating on a white background without any trace of representation as Malevich opted for pure abstraction. This artwork is one of the most important pieces that fall under Suprematism because it embodies an experience in pure feeling and perception.
In the 0.10 exhibition in Petrograd held the same year, Malevich showcased this badly cracked painting that showed his technique of using three homemade paints: burnt bone, black ocher, and a dark green hue. Chemical analysis confirmed these pigments’ use showing they were specifically generated by grinding natural substances together to create unique colors or build out other colors.
Malevich’s Black Circle painting is considered an iconic artwork within Suprematism – an influential art movement which laid down new foundations for artistic creation and became one of the most cutting-edge currents inside modernist art history.
