The principle of painting the walls 1920

Kazimir Malevich made this drawing in 1919, using pencil and gouache on paper. The shapes feel both precise and wonky, like someone learning to see newly, working through the basics of form in a state of pure curiosity. Look at the surface, the tooth of the paper showing through the flat gouache. It’s a very matter-of-fact, almost diagrammatic, but then those deep, saturated blocks of color suck you right in. Notice how the black square on the left is placed right at the edge, almost falling out of the frame, while the red semicircle feels like it's pushing forward. The interplay of color and form activates the space, making it feel dynamic and alive, like he's trying to build a world from scratch. I’m reminded of El Lissitzky, another Russian avant-gardist who, like Malevich, was trying to reinvent what painting could be, but also something bigger – maybe a whole new way of living. The idea of art as a form which embraces ambiguity really resonates with me here.