Just did a little reading about an old Russian art movement called suprematism, manifesto and all. Kind of a curious thing. It was originated by an artist, Kazimir Malevich, around 1913, and he declared the movement ended in 1920. The only art movement I can think of whose originator eventually decided to end it. Never mind, though, Malevich was apparently charismatic enough to draw in a few adherents to suprematism, who continued creating supposedly suprematist artwork and writing (one Russian poet played with it) well after Malevich ended his movement. I guess if you don’t want something to take on a life of its own, don’t publicize it.
Anyway, Malevich was inspired by cubism and futurism to start this movement. In effect, suprematism is a sort of combination of the two. Cubism is basically artwork comprised of representational industrial shapes and angles like cubes and circles. Futurism is the extreme abstraction of the same.
Malevich, apparently, saw some metaphysical connections and called his attempt to bring them out ‘suprematism’.
So, here’s my stab at it, just for metaphysical cubist kicks.
subjectivity
clear your mind white
empty the canvas of thought
paint a black circle
a ring of smoke
outside is all the void
inside the void of self
scrape the inner edge
with a triangle’s black points
spirit thought and body
trapped within the void
now fill the black triangle
with questions feelings doubts
a snail crushed underfoot
a daughter crushed by steel
a spider’s shriveled figure
a mother’s crinkled corpse
a fly smashed by the swatter
a son smashed by debris
a red fox snared in iron
a father trapped in credit
it all lasts but a moment
the circle snaps and fades
and the triangle’s edges scatter
to join the canvas white
