The artwork “Guard” by Kazimir Malevich, created in 1914, is an oil painting on canvas. This piece belongs to the Cubo-Futurism art movement and belongs to the genre of portraits. The dimensions of the artwork are 57 x 66 cm, and it is currently housed in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The artwork exemplifies Malevich’s exploration within the Cubo-Futurism movement, characterized by the fragmentation and abstraction of its subject matter. It employs a cubist technique with a futurist sense of dynamism. The composition consists of geometric shapes and a palette of muted tones with occasional bursts of color, creating a sense of complexity and depth. The overall arrangement of forms suggests the figure of a guard, discernible amidst the structured chaos of overlapping planes and angles. The piece challenges traditional portraiture, presenting a dynamic interplay of form and color that evokes movement and a modernist aesthetic.
