Black quadrilateral

The "Black quadrilateral" is one of the most characteristic examples of "Suprematism," the theory developed by Kazimir Malevich about non-objective painting. Malevich was one of the most radical and innovative artists of the Russian avant-garde. Beginning his artistic journey with Impressionism and Symbolism, he transitioned to Cubo-Futurism and, by the mid-1910s, formulated the theory of Suprematism. According to this theory, Suprematist works were free from any objects and presented compositions of geometric shapes and colours. The aim was to emphasize the primary role of form over content, asserting that form gives meaning to content, not the other way around. The term "Suprematism" is derived from the Latin word "supremus," signifying the supremacy of colour over all other technical elements of the painting. The "Black Square" became the emblem of Suprematism, marking the end of the old art/era and the beginning of the new. During the X-ray analysis of the artwork by conservator Maria Kokkori, traces of another painting beneath the "Black Square" were discovered. It was part of a painting titled "War" from 1914, which served as a preliminary sketch. According to the conservator, the absence of dust between the two paint layers suggests that Malevich painted the "Black Square" immediately after the older painting.