L.2013.6.9: About Two Squares: A Suprematist Tale in Six Constructions

Trained as an architect in Germany, Lissitsky began his artistic career creating illustrated Yiddish children’s books reminiscent of the work of Marc Chagall. In 1919, Chagall invited Lissitsky and Kazimir Malevich to join the faculty of the Vitebsk Popular Art School. Malevich, the founder of Suprematism, insisted on the absolute non-objectivity of art and believed that the square was the most basic and supreme formal element. His influence on Lissitsky is evident in the design of About Two Squares, a parable of the Revolution in the guise of a children’s book.