Malevich was an avant-garde artist, born and brought up in Ukraine of Polish parents. He developed an objectless style that he called Suprematism, with which he is mainly associated. His Black Square of 1915 (Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow) has become a celebrated icon of modernism. Malevich called this canvas the ‘zero of form’, precisely because for him it marked the end of the mimetic tradition and the beginning of a new pictorial language, based on the purity of form and colour, free from all associations with the material world.
Although Malevich died in 1935, some biographical details, such as his date of birth, have only been established relatively recently. In part, this is because the Soviet regime disapproved of Suprematism, did not allow his paintings to be displayed, and discouraged any study of his life and work. It is only since the demise of Communism in 1991 that scholars have had freedom of access to hitherto inaccessible materials, been able to investigate Malevich’s life and work in more depth and publish the results. The artist himself produced several versions of an autobiography, which also provide some information about his childhood and youth.
Although he was ethnically Polish, Malevich was born and brought up in Ukraine, which then formed part of the Russian Empire. Hence his name can be encountered as Kazimierz Malewicz (Polish) and Kazymyr Malevych (Ukrainian). His father worked in the sugar beet industry, moving from factory to factory, spending time in towns like Belopole. In 1896, the family moved to Kursk, and it was here that Malevich started working as a clerk for the railway, while studying art with a group of friends in his spare time. In 1902, he married Kazimira Zgleits, with whom he had two children, Anatolii and Galina.