Aviator 1914

Kazimir Malevich made this painting, Aviator, with oil on canvas, but you can also see the brushstrokes at work, and the way he's building the image out of layers of geometric forms. It's a process, not a snapshot. There's something so material about this piece, the way the colors feel almost like they're bumping into each other, but not quite blending. The surface has got this kind of rough-hewn texture. Look at that white fish-like form draped over the aviator's shoulder. The way it's painted, it almost feels like it could be peeled off and eaten, and it also mimics the letters behind. And that ace of clubs in his hand, it's like a little joke, a tiny moment of playfulness amidst all the seriousness. Malevich is in conversation with artists like Picasso and Braque, but he's pushing further into abstraction, trying to capture something beyond the surface of things. This isn't a fixed image, it's an invitation to play.