Landscape 1908

Kazimir Malevich made this small landscape painting with oil on cardboard, but we're not quite sure when. The painting is built up of small dabs of colour, mostly yellows, reds and blues, and the mark making is really even across the surface, it almost feels like a textile. I love how Malevich takes the idea of a landscape and turns it into something that's more about the act of painting itself. You can really feel the physicality of the medium; the little dots of paint create a subtle texture that almost feels like you could reach out and touch it. Look at the way the blue marks gather near the middle of the painting. They draw my eye, and seem to suggest some kind of natural form, like the play of light on water or a field of flowers. It makes me think of Van Gogh, who also wasn't afraid to use colour and texture to express emotion. Ultimately, this painting is a reminder that art is a conversation, an ongoing exchange of ideas and experiences across time.