Suprematism 1918

Kazimir Malevich made this Suprematist painting with what looks like chalky white paint, maybe even watercolor, and lots of patience. I can almost see him gently coaxing these ghostly semi-circles into existence. I wonder what Malevich was thinking, making these barely-there marks? Maybe he was trying to find the most minimal way to make a painting, or maybe he was just playing around, seeing what would happen if he kept diluting the paint. The texture is so soft, like a memory fading. The colour is built up in layers, each one whispering to the others. I really want to see what it looks like in real life! This kind of reductive gesture is a bit like Agnes Martin, right? Or even some of those early Rothkos. Artists are always talking to each other across time, riffing on each other's ideas. And with painting you can never quite nail it down. It’s always open to interpretation, changing with the light, with our mood. It’s all about the process of seeing, not just what’s there.