Plate (folio 22) from Vzorval' (Explodity)

Plate (folio 22) from Vzorval' (Explodity) is an essential work by Kazimir Malevich, created in 1913. This specific lithograph is drawn from a highly experimental Illustrated Book, a central artifact demonstrating the radical artistic collaborations taking place within the Russian Futurist movement of the period. The complete publication utilized sixteen lithographs, combining them with lithographed manuscript text and disruptive rubber-stamped elements, fusing visual abstraction with advanced poetic theory.

The piece exemplifies Malevich's exploration of geometric and non-representational forms just prior to his full transition to Suprematism two years later. The dynamic composition reflects the Cubo-Futurist interest in depicting movement, fragmentation, and simultaneity, a direct challenge to academic painting conventions. Executed as a lithograph, the technique allowed the artist to produce sharp, graphic prints that emphasized line and simplified planar shapes. The raw, energetic quality of the images was intentional, reflecting the revolutionary impulse of the 1913 cultural environment.

Unlike traditional book illustration, the images in Vzorval' often stand independently or serve to visually disrupt the narrative flow of the text, mirroring the Futurist rejection of linear perception and traditional structure. Malevich’s contribution to this seminal project underscores his position not only as a painter but also as a radical graphic designer and printmaker actively seeking to redefine the limits of the artistic medium. This historically significant work resides in the prestigious collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, where it functions as a critical document illustrating the foundational steps of Russian abstraction.