In the morning went from Lviv 1914

Kazimir Malevich made this image "In the morning went from Lviv" and it looks like it was made as a print of some kind, using flat color. I love the way the artist deploys the image in a repetitive way, kind of like early stop-motion animation. Check out how the flat, kind of chalky color creates a surface tension, holding the image in place. Notice also how the black boots and gun barrels pull the eye back and forward as if the image itself is marching, becoming almost a machine. What’s so interesting here is the super deliberate composition. That black flying saucer or whatever it is, is such a strange thing to include. The work reminds me of the work of Phillip Guston, especially in its use of simple, graphic shapes, and its creation of an ambiguous and slightly unsettling atmosphere.