'Black Square' - DSGA Lines Connect - 'Red Square'
Tom R. Chambers uses art pieces from his "Digital Suprematism - Geometric Abstraction" project as line conversions to "connect" Kazimir Malevich's "Black Square" and "Red Square". Malevich's "Black Square" and "Red Square", both exhibited in 1915, approximate being one and the same, but Malevich considered his "Black Square" to be the true icon - its zero form - for Suprematism. The first time Malevich exhibited his "Red Square", it was subtitled "Pictorial Realism of a Peasant in Two Dimensions".
During the Vitebsk years, the representation of the "Red Square" was politicized. Lazar Lissitzky had a hand in this Bolshevization of the Suprematist figure. He turned the "Red Square" into the Unovis seal. However, Malevich and all the other Suprematist-Unovis members
deemed the "Black Square" to be the true symbol of Unovis. (Vitebsk, Aleksandra Shatskikh, 2007 [1917-1922])
'Black Square' - DSGA Lines Connect - 'Red Square' offers a fascinating and conceptually rich exploration of the relationship between Kazimir Malevich's iconic Suprematist squares. By using line conversions derived from his own 'Digital Suprematism - Geometric Abstraction' project, Chambers attempts to bridge the visual and conceptual gap between the 'Black Square' and the 'Red Square,' sparking a dialogue about their historical context and significance within the Suprematist movement.
The project's strength lies in its engagement with the historical nuances surrounding these two seemingly simple forms. Chambers doesn't just present them as aesthetic objects but delves into the complexities of their meaning. He highlights Malevich's own preference for the 'Black Square' as the foundational 'zero form' of Suprematism, the ultimate symbol of a new artistic and spiritual beginning. He then contrasts this with the 'Red Square,' initially presented as a more-earthly representation of peasant life.
Importantly, the project acknowledges the politicization of the 'Red Square' during the Vitebsk years, particularly through Lissitzky's influence and its adoption as the Unovis seal. This historical context is crucial for understanding the evolution of the image and how it diverged from Malevich's original intentions. Chambers' work cleverly hints at this tension, implicitly questioning whether the 'Red Square,' despite its connection to the 'Black Square,' ultimately represents a dilution or even a distortion of the original Suprematist idealism.