Painterly Architectonics

In the period 1916 - 1918 Popova made her first mature non-objective works in a purely personal style, which she called Painterly Architectures. The catalytic factor in the formation of her own non-objective idiom was primarily the influence of Malevich's Suprematism, the language of geometric shapes composed in dynamic compositions floating in chaotic, white, cosmic space. The purpose of the painter is to create a dynamic construction of diagonally intersecting and almost intangible levels that intersect at various angles of inclination within a complex painting space. The composition maintains a perpetual visual fluidity that results from the play of light on the sharply textured and yet translucent planes. Triangular and trapezoidal planes cross each other at different angles and the illuminated white areas give them the feeling of flickering and a space pulsating with life. The composition exceeds the boundaries of the painting in every direction. This project is almost exclusively a blue accord. Various layers ranging tonally from lighter to almost black are organised around a luminous center that causes the surrounding shapes to pulsate and shimmer, while at the same time emphasising the sensation created by the texture of the painted surface. The composition is basically built on a set of triangular relationships and intersecting diagonals that activate the painting field and create a dynamic space.