Torso 1929

Kazimir Malevich made this oil on canvas 'Torso,' and it’s like a stripped-down version of a body, rendered in blocks of colour, and simple shapes. The process of making it feels so upfront, like he’s laying down ideas, one next to the other. The surface has this beautiful, chalky texture, like the pigment has just been mixed with the oil. I keep coming back to the red oval at the top. It's so simple, just sitting there, but it gives the whole painting this unexpected lift, like a balloon pulling everything upwards. And the way the white and yellow halves meet in the middle – it's such a decisive move. The painting’s divided, sure, but it is also brought together. It makes me think of his Suprematist paintings, where he reduced everything to basic geometric forms, and Malevich asks us to consider what it means to represent the body, and how we can find new ways of seeing and experiencing the world through art.