White on White

This is the kind of painting that never carries the same meaning twice. A perfectly dimensioned square and inside that is another tilted square killing the perfect symmetry possibility. It tests one's patience, temper, solitude, passion, and existential intelligence.

This is the ultimate, final evolutionary step of Malevich's three Supermatism squares. Black, Red and White on White. This was considered by him the ultimate colour of infinity. This reminds me of the colour spectrum experiment in a science class from middle school. When painted all the primary, or any number of colours on a circular disc and spun, we see white. White is usually known as the colour of peace. But here it is proven that white is the colour that could adapt any emotion in motion.

An angry old man, when expecting death, would say this painting is his anger resting, a young poet would call this painting the wait to see his lover from when he dropped her at her doorstep to picking her up in 10 hours. A mother would say that this was the image that flashed in front of her eyes when she gave birth.

Malevich said in the painting's first text in a public exhibition, "I have overcome the lining of the coloured sky... Swim in the white free abyss, infinity is before you." THE FREE ABYSS, INFINITY. It is a space in reality that we could dive in. A reality that leaves us in retrospection. And the reality as a factor, and as an atmosphere is pulled off by the visible deliberate brush strokes in both the big and small squares. While the same has also been mocked by fellow constructivism artists that it was a canvas with a very good primer coating and that something could be done on it. It was one among the infinity takes. Artists with a vision.

The bigger square is warmer white, and the smaller square is cooler tone. Seeing this painting is like getting acquainted with someone and becoming friends with them eventually. You see a big warm smile, very adjustable, extremely external part of a person. And inside it is always a shade that is not known to many. It is for the privileged, and it does not essentially be cold. But it is preserved. It does neither blend or have sharp edges with the warmer square, as it does belong together in unison.

This paintings is also one of those abstract paintings that had to be heroically saved by an Alexander from titling it "Bourgeois". It had to be smuggled to the US, or had to be preserved in the US. For whatever reason may it be that the Alexanders saved these life worthy paintings, but I wonder "why?" Ofcourse legacy. But they weren't the artists. Will Malevich risk it all to save his painting?

Abstract art, especially white on white, is an experience for one to realise that the pursuit was always the advent, gratification is not the result of plummet remorse, and peace is just sitting in a museum and recalling all the animus over the years all while gawking at White on White.