Church 1905

Kazimir Malevich made Church with oil paints in a way that feels like he’s building up the image, bit by bit. The creamy yellows and grays aren't smoothed out. You can almost feel the dabs of paint as he added them, trying to catch the light on the building. Up close, the surface has a chunky texture, like plaster or stucco. The marks are really physical; he’s not hiding anything. There's one spot, a little dab of yellow near the top of the dome, that stands out. It’s like a key, unlocking the whole painting. It pulls everything together, like the keystone in an arch. Malevich reminds me a bit of Cezanne. Both of them were so focused on process and on the materials of art. With both of them, there is a sense of searching, of trying to figure out how to show what they saw, rather than just copying it. It’s art as a question, not an answer.