“Reciter,” a work by Kazimir Malevich created in 1913, is rendered in pencil on paper and belongs to the Constructivism art movement. This sketch and study measures 27 by 21 centimeters and is housed at the St. Petersburg State Museum of Theater and Music in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The artwork features a stylized figure depicted in a side profile, engaged in the act of reciting or reading. The figure’s form is fragmented and angular, characteristic of Constructivist aesthetics. The head is divided into geometric shapes with patches of blue and white, while the body is abstracted with blocks of color: black for the torso, yellow and white for the arms, and green for one leg. The other leg features a design resembling musical notation, suggesting a connection to performance or melody. The sparing use of color and the stark contrast between the black outline and the light background emphasize the bold, geometric structure of the composition.