The White Cross 1927

Kazimir Malevich made this painting, The White Cross, with oil on canvas. I imagine Malevich starting with a gray, subtly mottled ground, then carefully applying layers to build up that stark white cross. It’s not a crisp, clean white, but a ghostly, almost recessive white. It’s like he's asking, what is the most a painting can be, with the least amount of… stuff? I think about the bravery it takes to pare down to such essential forms. The texture here is muted, almost matte, absorbing light rather than reflecting it. This makes the geometry feel less like a solid object and more like an ethereal presence. It's quiet, almost silent, but definitely powerful! Painters are always talking to each other, even across decades and continents. I think Malevich would have approved of the exchange. We all build on what came before, trying to make something new out of the old conversation.