“Suprematism (design for a theatre curtain, with El Lissitsky),” created by Kazimir Malevich around 1919, is a work of gouache, pencil, and watercolor on paper, measuring 45 by 62.5 cm. This abstract, sketch, and study piece belonging to the Suprematism art movement is currently housed in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Russia.
The artwork exemplifies the tenets of Suprematism, a movement emphasizing basic geometric forms and a limited range of colors. The composition involves an assembly of various rectangular and square shapes in hues of red, blue, black, and white, laid out in a structured yet dynamic arrangement. The symmetry and asymmetry of the shapes create a sense of balance and tension. The use of flat planes of color denotes Malevich’s focus on pure artistic feeling rather than depicting the real-world objects, in line with the Suprematism philosophy where the visual phenomena of the objective world are of no interest in themselves. The collaboration with El Lissitzky, a key figure in the Russian avant-garde movement, further underlines the revolutionary nature and the progressive outlook of this work.