Subjective Critique

Suprematist Composition (blue rectangle over the red beam) Oil on canvas 88 x 70.5 cm.
1916
by Kazimir Malevich

This painting is too tense to me. There is so much there that all means nothing to me and all I can understand about it is that it makes me feel tense. Most edges are so close to each other but not meeting, creating tension. All the shapes are very uniform except that in some areas it seems like the work was rushed because for some reason the colors aren't completely solid for some objects. The white background gives way to more tension, leaving the objects with no subtlety. I also dislike that the object colors look exciting or like something might happen but isn't happening.

In order to change this I would like to use watercolors instead of oil to look more natural and put the piece more at ease. I would lose some of the uniform look to the shapes by letting the colors bleed a bit. To emphasize the action I felt in the original piece, I will add some Pollock-like spattering of paint. I would also like to change up the colors a bit to change the flow and nature of the piece to release more of that tension.