Kazimir Malevich —transit to the Eternity

“Through transforming the world I move towards my own transformation and, perhaps, in the last day of my conversion I will transform into a new form leaving my current image in the fading green animal kingdom… And the most economical is a square…”

Kazimir Malevich, God is not thrown off, Vitebsk, 1921

I was born in Konotop a year after Kazimir Malevich died, thus the deep code connection with this land soon becomes clear. This is the land that at some point was destined to be a sort of a “launching pad” of the world blast off, “energetic cradle” of the world-wide known and at that time still young Malevich. Undoubtedly, he was a difficult person and an artist of still uncomprehended complexity. Famous researcher Jean Claude Marcade called him “a brilliant nugget.”

The name of the book I’ve chosen Ways of Malevich. Stop at Konotop. 1894-1896 seems quite felicitous. By the way, I would like to note that it is the first attempt ever to reconstruct in detail the period of the Malevich’s family stay in Konotop and to determine the sources of creativity of young Kazimir. Ironically, up until now the Konotop period has not been mentioned at all in the majority of the books and the starting point of Malevich’s creative post-Ukrainian life begins from 1896.

I have been working on the topic of early works of Malevich for many years. During this time many of my articles appeared in various publications. Thus, let’s try to open for ourselves the little known side of Malevich’s creative work…

Of course, we can hardly explain the intelligence of a beginner artist, his unstoppable imagination, always inclined to mysticism, only by ties to Ukrainian culture and archetypes of its existence in Konotop region. Malevich’s entry to the European culture as an artist was kind of an “explosion,” but, at the same time, it was stylistically and theoretically clear and smooth. Perhaps, he was “hooked up” to an outer communicative energy field and could “remember” things he never saw: for example, the system of his brush work culture somehow correlates with the early forms of art in Rouffignac caves in France. It is extremely difficult to analyze life and career of a personality of such high level as Malevich: in the large number even of professional books about him reality and fiction are often combined, there are many alogisms, discrepancies, and inaccuracies (for example, different books have different birth dates of the artist: either 1878 or 1879). There is also confusion in dating of individual works. The initial period of his work remains the least researched. The art work of the painter is so diverse, mystical, and secretive that long time and efforts of many specialists is required for decoding its sense.

Malevich with his Black Square introduced to our imagination a picture-mystery and for nearly a century now many people try to understand it, crack its mystery, and evaluate it. Its author was and still remains a charismatic personality and everything associated with his name causes a great deal of interest.

I was lucky to get to know the world of the early creative work of the artist connected with Konotop, to open the unknown up until now pages of his youth searches, his balancing on the verge of “village – city,” to reveal his sometimes ironic assessment of his own works of that period (“there is a black sheep in every flock…”) and an irresistible desire to expand his horizon, “to get off the ground.” This is the period that is practically absent in the chronicles of life and work of Malevich: the starting point of the artist’s post-Ukrainian period of life begins from Kursk in 1896.

In the book I present three paintings which I found in Konotop in different years and which I define as those that were created by Malevich. There are only three paintings, they all are different just like searching of a young beginner self-taught artist but after using comparative analysis with the later works of the already mature master, applying different methods of art and technology research, and taking into account the essential remarks, advice, and comments of my colleagues, I consider these paintings to be authentic. I am confident that others may agree or disagree with me, but it would be extremely difficult to contradict all of the suggested arguments.

Gilles Nera stated that Malevich had repeatedly “driven commissioners of art into a deadlock,” he allegedly cheerfully rubbed his hands from critics’ ignorance. The Internet is now full of information about annoying or deliberate “mistakes” of modern experts. Who, how, according to what principles and scientific achievements has the right to seal the fate of art works, especially the ones of such high level?

It is known that there are very few of Malevich’s works in Ukraine. That is why I, as a professional art expert, graduate of Art History Department at Mikhail Lomonosov Moscow State University, would not want my findings to go into oblivion or to be burnt in the “flame of memory.”

Dmytro STEPOVYK, professor, Doctor of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Theology, member of the Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences:

“This book is a vivid example of careful research of work of a particular artist, specific paintings, and specific place – the town of Konotop in 1894 through 1896. Ms. Valihotska in concise, objective, and elegant manner describes one of the ‘sleepy’ towns of eastern Ukraine, in which the great talent of Malevich burst like a storm. It is not by chance that the Black Square was the symbol of the time when Moscow Empire was coming to an end. The author also describes the works of Malevich created by him during the Konotop period unraveling and decoding numerous symbols, metaphors of his colors and shapes, for Malevich was, first of all, a recognized symbolist, colorist, and formalist in the best sense of those words.”

Mykola STOROZHENKO, professor, current member of the Ukraine’s National Academy of Art, people’s artist of Ukraine, winner of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize:

“The creative work of Malevich is beyond any praise and criticism. It is an explosion of energy, like a flash of a new star, which gives life to everything around it. New consciousness of fine thinking and evolutionary sense of Malevich’s painting is hard or even impossible to grasp at once. Incomprehensible revival and purification of the spirit is embodied in his Square. I have read the book by Velihotska written in vigorous true style in one evening. I plunged into my native world of Sloboda Ukraine where I spent my childhood, once again I’ve touched those live sources – peasant art and icon painting that fed him and are still feeding my creative work.”