Suprematism Self Portrait in Two Dimensions continues Malevich’s obsession with abstract lines and shapes for the very art movement that he himself had created.
Whilst many will immediately see the work of Kandinsky within this artwork, Malevich is more closely linked to the movement of Suprematism. Their careers overlapped in many ways, stylistically, but also differed in others. Kandinsky’s use of abstract lines and shapes rarely went quite as abstract as his colleague – Malevich famously reducing art composition to as simple a level as found in Black Cross and White on White.
In this composition the artist chooses to include several rectangles, squares and a small circle that is empty inside. He would rotate some of these shapes, but leave others directly parallel to the canvas. He consistently varied colour too. The rotation of certain shapes was used to suggest movement, whilst the way in which he placed each item would correspond to its relationship with the other elements of the scene. He wanted to reduce art to its smallest parts, and this movement was what came from that desire.