Malevich (Great Modern Masters) [Hardcover]

Jose Maria Faerna (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1996

Focusing on Kazimir Malevich (1878-1935), one of the great pioneers of 20th-century abstract art, this is one of a series of illustrated monographs which offer introductions to modern art and artists. Each book presents a profile of the artist and analysis of his distinctive style. Malevich was a major figure in the Russian avant-garde, and a founder of Suprematism, which became the basis for most later trends in abstract painting. His life and work are traced from his early years to his triumphants Suprematist period, including his abanconment of painting altogether in 1918, in favour of teaching and designing architecture and objects for daily use.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Russian painter Kasimir Malevich (1878-1935) is remembered primarily as the founder of the short-lived Suprematist movement in the 1920s. Yet his style varied quite a lot, tracing a curve from representation, followed by abstraction, and thence a return to the human figure. Similarly, Norwegian Edvard Munch (1863-1944) is so associated with his icon of angst, The Scream (1893), that his later, more painterly landscapes and portraits are often forgotten. Because these artists are best known for a small part of their output, these volumes, which review their entire careers, are particularly valuable. Textual matter is whittled to a minimum. Each volume contains just a pair of two-page essays: a terse biographical sketch followed by a succinct aesthetic commentary. As a result, these thin titles cannot be thought of as a source of anything but visual information, but they serve that purpose superbly. Their signature feature is the inclusion of numerous (60-70) high-quality color plates derived from every period in each artist's life. The 15th and 16th entries, respectively, in Abrams's excellent "Great Modern Masters" series, these books are identical in format to earlier titles focusing on such artists as Bacon, Chagall, Klee, and Matisse. The visual emphasis results in affordable supplements to better sources for biocritical information, like the Biographical Dictionary of Artists (Facts on File, 1995). Though not definitive, these two unique resources are highly recommended for all collections.?Douglas F. Smith, Oakland P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Spanish

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams / Cameo; 1st edition (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810946912
• ISBN-13: 978-0810946910
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,058,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Nice Introduction to Kazimir Malevich and His Work, December 13, 2011

By 

Stephanie Sane (from the Asylum) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Malevich (Great Modern Masters) (Hardcover)

I've long been a fan of the brilliant Russian painter Kazimir Malevich. He along with Paul Cezanne are my two favorite painters, so when I ran across this book in my local Salvation Army store, I was delighted. Though only 64 pages long, some of his finest work is shown here, including two my two favorite paintings of his, "Woman in a Yellow Hat" and "Unemployed Girl".

The book opens with a short two paged chapter called "Malevich and the Russian Avant-Garde" the goes into another two page chapter on Kazimir Malevich where you'll find out who he was, where he painted and what that and why who he was is important.

Like me, Malevich admired Cezanne, but unlike me, he was hugely talented, was able to see Cezanne's work and take it to a different level. He believed Cezanne's attempt "to create a new order independent of the natural one in painting was the course that modern artists should follow" as he shifted to a cubist style. He considered himself a Cubo-Futurist and he was a member of the Russian Futurist group.

Though I admire all of his work, it's the work he did before he coined the idea of Suprematism that I like the best, the French Post-Impressionist looking stuff. Also, I didn't know he did propaganda posters during WW I supporting the Russian war effort. I've never seen them, but I'm going to go to Google after I post this review and see if I can find some.

If you've ever wandered into an art gallery and enjoyed yourself, then you'll enjoy this book and you just might learn a little something, I know I did.

3.0 out of 5 stars Colors a bit off, but good overall, July 12, 2009

By 

Eugene Tenenbaum "reluctant reader" (Bronx, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Malevich (Great Modern Masters) (Hardcover)

As in all titles in the Great Modern Masters series published by Abrams: Colors are not vibrant, often with a brownish tint or/and too dark, and their accuracy is just O.K. There are 64 pages of a good size 9.5x12 inches (24x30.5 cm). It begins with an introduction with 5-6 small b&w pictures on 2 pages, which is followed by a biography with 5-6 small b&w pictures on 2 next pages. The rest is dedicated to good size over 60 full color plates divided into chapters dedicated to artist's carrier periods, style directions, or themes, each described by 12-16 lines of text. The series is inferior to the same size paperback series published by Taschen in 1990s, but superior to Taschen's series of smaller sizes published latter. Unfortunately, the Taschen series does not cover Bacon, Botero, Brancusi, Braque, Calder, de Chirico, Johns, Kokoschka, Leger, Man Ray, Malevich, Modigliani, and Rouault this series does.