Troe (The Three)

The illustrated book Troe (The Three), created by Kazimir Malevich in 1913, represents a pivotal moment in Russian pre-Suprematist art. Classified as an illustrated book, the complex physical construction involves a cover featuring a lithographed manuscript design and illustration on the front, paired with lithographed manuscript text on the back. This volume contains four internal photomechanical reproductions, all printed on distinctive pale green paper, marking its unique aesthetic and materiality.

This piece belongs to the highly experimental period of the Russian avant-garde, particularly among circles experimenting with zaum poetry and Futurist design. Malevich, alongside contemporaries, used the medium of the cheaply produced artists' book to disseminate radical ideas outside traditional gallery systems. The execution relies on lithography for the manuscript elements, a technique that allowed for quick production and imparted a rough, immediate quality fitting the aggressive aesthetics of the movement. The materiality, emphasizing mass production techniques and the specific choice of paper color, reinforces the work's function as a designed object intended for circulation, unlike traditional fine art prints.

Before the advent of Suprematism in the mid-1910s, Malevich engaged heavily with Cubo-Futurist styles, which are evident in the designs and illustrations present in Troe (The Three). This early work provides crucial insight into the artist’s transition from figurative imagery towards radical abstraction, demonstrating his intense exploration of form and typography during this crucial year of 1913. Such ephemeral, yet historically significant, publications are often difficult to preserve, but this example remains a key document of early 20th-century Russian culture. Today, the work resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, ensuring its availability for scholarly study and public appreciation.