To Those Which They Never Turned Another Cheek: 

White on White, Malevich, 1918

Suprematism, the ultimate movement of art that aspired to create works superior to all their contemporaries, was founded by Kazimir Malevich. Through the movement, Malevich developed his aesthetic theory by reinventing the use of polychromatic and monochromatic combinations. His composition, White on White, uses colors to create a feeling of infinite space. The three-dimensional textures and palette variations create an elevated, pure-white square superimposed on an ivory backdrop. Though the white quadrilateral was painted to be in the physical foreground, the spectators feel as if they are falling into it instead.

The Russian government rejected Suprematist art, deeming it fundamental and nothing extraordinary. The movement did not adhere to academic precedents, which caused the government to distress over the mental stability of this art movement.

Malevich’s artworks, though highly reliant on geometric shapes and basic colors, would threaten the authority and the power of the government if political figures could not censor his works. As if to prove their worth, the government infiltrated Malevich’s studio, confiscated his art works, and left him instead with a small black book of “rules with which to paint his art.”

However, the government’s confiscation of this work, as well as the popularity that he gained from quietly tolerating this invasion, allowed his works to gain more fame than they had before governmental confrontation. White on White became a masterpiece in the field of monochromatic philosophies.

Stalin’s attempts to stifle Malevich’s fame offered the Suprematist founder more recognition than ever before.