Church

In the artistic career of Kazimir Malevich there were two Impressionist periods, and in the eternal thirst for mystifications he shuffled them by dating some of the works to the beginning of the century, though in fact they were painted in 1920-30-s. Several works from his later period (for example, "Flower girl" or "Unemployed girl") differ significantly in technique and palette from his earliest paintings. However, Malevich insisted that his creative path went strictly "from Impressionism to Suprematism" without any deviations.

“The church" painting refers to the earliest works of the artist, which he painted in Kursk. Perhaps, it portrays the Catholic church of Our Lady of the Assumption, built in 1896. Using impressionistic color and light techniques Malevich creates incorporeal and amorphous atmosphere. We only guess the building of the temple from behind the trees, it seems to be trembling in the sunlit air. And the trees themselves are indistinguishable in density from their own shadows, they are also lost in some indefinable haze. It is impossible to guess what time of year it was created is a leaf: the land with the shadows of the trees can with equal probability be covered with snow or sun-bleached grass.

The influence of Claude Monet can definitely be traced in the early impressionistic paintings of Malevich. Young artist in his first art experiences was moving almost in the footsteps of the French master, borrowing his colors and strokes. Malevich told about the influence of Monet, "His main aim was not conveying light and shadows, but creating the painting consisting of light and shadows... We must focus on purely artistic aspect, and not a samovar, a cathedral, a pumpkin or Giocondo".

Written by Eugeniya Sydelnykova