Cubism & Early Abstraction · 1918

Suprematist Composition: White on White

Kazimir Malevich 1879–1935

Suprematist Composition: White on White (1918) by Kazimir Malevich. Its palette is led by pale muted golden cream (#d9d4c3, 82%) and bone (#c8bfae, 18%). Overall the canvas is light, muted and warm.

Color note

Malevich's Black Square (1915) was meant as a zero point for painting, color and subject stripped away. He went on to float pure colored shapes on white grounds in his Suprematist compositions.

Palette

#d9d4c3 MG 203 pale muted golden cream 82.1% of canvas
#c8bfae MG 171 bone 17.9% of canvas

Color families

White 62%, Brown 38%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.86
Contrast: 0.09
Vividness: 0.024
Warmth: +1.00
Complexity: 16 cells
Hue range: 0.14
Focus: 0.00

Composition

54% of the visual weight is in the left half, 52% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.89 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 100% of the canvas is calm space. There is almost no detail anywhere. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: 1918
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 79.4 × 79.4 cm
Genre: abstract art
Collection: Museum of Modern Art, New York City

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