One of the first and most radical developments of abstract art was created by Russian artist Kazimir Malevich (1878-1935). In 1915, Malevich painted a large black square on a white background, marking the beginning of suprematism. Painting paintings composed solely of rectangles, lines and circles with a limited palette of colors, he emphasized the geometrical forms and platitude of his paintings. For Malevich, they expressed the ultimate balance of positive and negative forces, and the artist believed that his art was superior to the whole past and that it would lead to the "supremacy of pure feeling or perception in the pictorial arts." Strongly influenced by Cubism, Futurism and some avant-garde poets, Malevich invented a totally abstract art and was fascinated by his quest for representation of the most essential elements. The purity of colours and shapes was intended to encourage viewers to contemplate ideas beyond superficial appearance. Although the communist authorities then attacked the movement, supremacy was first perceived as an innovative style for the new regime. Suprematism also played an important role in the formation of constructivism.

By abandoning any notion of the real world, suprematism has influenced abstract art. In 1915, the first suprematist exhibition took place in St. Petersburg, comprising 35 paintings by Malevich. In 1927 he published the book The Non-Objective World, which had a profound effect on the development of abstract painting.

MAIN ARTISTS: KAZIMIR MALEVICH • EL LISSITZKY • LYUBOV POPOVA • OLGA ROZANOVA • ILYA CHASHNIK