Untitled by Liubov Popova (1917) / Suprematist Composition (blue rectangle over the red beam) by Kazimir Malevich (1916) / Proun GK by El Lissitzky (c. 1922)

Please scroll down after reading this article to view the videos mentioned therein.

Part of my joy in being a creative or artist or arts appreciator is sitting with good friends, a pint or glass of wine or coffee, and talking about art. As often as not, the conversation will turn to ideas for new pieces or projects. Recently, by way of talking about Russian Suprematism, a friend said, “those pieces are just incredible in how they are so full of paused movement that it looks like they are just about to start dancing!” I replied, “Oh they should! Can you imagine an animated Kasmir Malevich, El Lissitzky, or Liubov Popova?” (Mind you, I’m not suggesting that the medium the works are in is not the best medium, but ideation is its own joy.) Then, because it is 2021, rather than start animating these pieces ourselves we immediately pulled out our phones to see if anyone else had this same notion. And of course they had!

The Tate Modern made a fantastic animated trailer for a Malevich show and Jendose made a version that I especially enjoy ending with 1916’s Blue Rectangle over the Red Beam. And there are more… whether design or art, these are some delightful videos here and here and here. We found enough examples to dissuade us, for the time being, from making our own version. Some time ago, that might have produced a reaction like, “I wish I thought of that and made it first!” (As a side note, the Jealous Curator has a great reaction to that sentiment.) These days, my reaction is just a mix of enjoyment at seeing these wonderful pieces out in the world and maybe a little relief that yet another project didn’t get added to a list that is already longer than one lifetime’s worth of making. Sometimes we stumble across art in the strangest ways.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: CORWIN LEVI

Corwin is a visual artist working in design, illustration, bookmaking, curating, and writing. As an artist, he has attended over twenty artist residencies. He has also have lived in eighteen cities across twelve states. Along with Michelle Aldredge, he co-created Mirror Mirrored: An Artists’ Edition of 25 Grimms’ Tales. He is currently remixing vintage game boards and making a book from illustrations of Alice in Wonderland.