The painter Kazimir Severinovich Malevich was born in 1879 in Kiev, Ukraine. He was a major representative of the Russian avant-garde, a precursor of constructivism, and the founder of suprematism. He was influenced by post-impressionism, fauvism, and cubism. His abstract suprematist painting, The Black Square on a White Ground from 1915, is considered a major milestone in modern painting and is referred to as an "icon of modernity."
Malevich grew up in poor conditions. His rudimentary schooling ended with an apprenticeship at an agricultural school. However, his interest in drawing from nature awakened in him at the age of 13. Thanks to a job as a technical draftsman, he was able to save enough money to study at the School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture in Moscow.
His initial experience in 1904 was the vision of Claude Monet's painting of the Rouen Cathedral; from that moment, he considered himself an impressionist. His first public exhibition took place in 1907 in Moscow, alongside a then-unknown artist, Wassily Kandinsky. Turning towards cubo-futurism, he created paintings such as The Woodcutter, which was also exhibited at the International Exhibition of Modern Art in New York in 1913. The same year, his work on the set design for an opera marked the birth of suprematism: Malevich painted the first Black Square on a stage curtain. Although exhibitions of suprematist works received rather destructive reviews, they nevertheless marked the breakthrough of abstract, non-figurative art. As a master of abstraction, he influenced many artists, such as Piet Mondrian and his neoplasticism style.
From the late 1920s, Malevich's work underwent a radical change with a return to figurative painting, including suprematist elements. He dedicated his art to the beloved peasants who suffered under the forced collectivization of agriculture, which was reflected in his new style.
In 1935, Malevich died of cancer in Leningrad.
