Cubism & Early Abstraction · 1915

Black Square (1915)

Kazimir Malevich 1879–1935

Black Square (1915) (1915) by Kazimir Malevich. Its palette is led by white (#eff0ea, 48%) and soot (#111218, 37%). Overall the canvas is light, muted and warm.

Color note

The black has cracked with age, letting earlier layers show through; X-ray studies found colored compositions painted underneath.

Palette

#eff0ea MG 205 white 47.9% of canvas
#111218 MG 223 soot 37.0% of canvas
#202126 MG 222 charcoal 11.2% of canvas
#383537 MG 218 graphite 4.0% of canvas

Color families

Black 48%, White 48%, Gray 4%, Brown 0%, Blue 0%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.56
Contrast: 0.82
Vividness: 0.006
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 112 cells
Hue range: -0.00
Focus: 0.00

Details

Date: 1915
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 79.5 × 79.5 cm
Genre: abstract art
Made in: Russian Empire
Collection: Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

More by Kazimir Malevich

Red Square, 1915
Suprematist Composition, 1916
Suprematist Composition: White on White, 1918