Malevich and Frank Stehler's "Black Square"
from Toward Relative Art & Technology
Malevich and Frank Stehler's "Black Square"
Kazimir Malevich and Frank Stellar.'s "Black Squares" were born from independent historical backgrounds and ideas, using the same color "black" and geometric shapes, but with different meanings and They use the same color "black" and geometric shapes, but have different meanings and purposes.
Below, each "black square" is described and compared in terms of similarities and differences.
1. "The Black Square" by Kazimir Malevich
Year of creation: 1915
Background: Within the Russian avant-garde movement, Malevich proposed an art movement called "suprematism" ("suprematism").
Features of the work:.
The composition is simple, with only black squares on a white background.
Completely eliminating the reproduction of objects and emotional expression, the artist pursues "absolute sensation" through pure form and color.
Philosophical Significance:.
For Malevich, The Black Square symbolized a "departure from nothing" and proclaimed the end of traditional figurative art.
He also positioned it as an "icon of the new art" and presented it as a sublime entity with religious significance as well.
2. "The Black Square" by Frank Stehler
BACKGROUND: Stahler was a pioneer of Minimalism and Post-Minimalism in the late 1950s and 1960s. His work was an exploration of pure form and color without the emotional elements of Abstract Expressionism.
Features of the work:.
Stahler repeatedly used black geometric shapes in his early Black Stripe Painting series.
Particular emphasis is placed on precision and order in the composition of squares and stripes.
Philosophical Significance:.
With the famous phrase "What you see is what you see," Stahler expressed that his work does not contain symbolism or narrative, but is intended to be a visual experience itself.
Whereas Malevich's "Black Square" had a symbolic and philosophical background, Stahler focused solely on pure form and visual reality.
3. common points
Use of geometric shapes: Both artists use the simple geometric form of the "square" to deconstruct traditional forms and subjects of art.
The choice of the color "black": black is used as a color that eliminates superfluous ornamentation and symbolism, a means of expressing purity.
Abstract Approach: Both artists take an innovative approach that rejects traditional figuration and reproduction and takes art in a new direction.
4. points of difference
Philosophical Background:.
Malevich: emphasized religious and metaphysical meanings and tried to lead art to a new spiritual experience through "absolute sensation.
Stealer: Pursues the self-objectivity of art, presenting a purely visual experience.
Social and cultural context:.
Malevich: In the context of the social transformation that was Russia before and after the revolution, he served as a connection between tradition and the future.
Stellar: emerged amidst the development of modernism and criticism of abstract expressionism in postwar America.
Reception and meaning of the work:.
Malevich: accepted as an icon with deep historical symbolism.
Stealer: The work was recognized as offering a pure visual experience rather than a conceptual one.
Conclusion.
Kazimir Malevich's "Black Squares" and Frank Staerler's "Black Square-like Works" both use geometric shapes and abstraction, but have very different philosophical and cultural agendas. Malevich aimed for a "spiritual revolution" in art, while Stahler aimed for an "exploration of pure vision. While sharing the same shape, they represent contrasting directions in background and significance.
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