Vil'gel'mova Karusel' (Wilhelm's Carousel)

Vil'gel'mova Karusel' (Wilhelm's Carousel) is a powerful lithograph created by Kazimir Malevich in 1914. This print is classified among the key graphic works from the crucial transitional period leading up to the development of Suprematism. Executed using the lithographic medium, the piece relies on sharp lines and fractured, overlapping planes, characteristic of the Russian avant-garde’s engagement with both Cubist structure and Futurist dynamism. The title, referencing a carousel, suggests an exploration of mechanical motion and urban spectacle, themes often examined by Malevich during this highly experimental phase.

Created in 1914, on the immediate eve of World War I, the visual language employed by Malevich in this Russian work demonstrates a deep commitment to radical modern analytical forms. The technique of the lithograph allows for stark contrasts and geometric complexity, furthering the artist's push toward abstraction and away from traditional representational art. Unlike his later purely geometric compositions, Vil'gel'mova Karusel' retains fragments of recognizable reality, albeit distorted and reassembled according to the Cubo-Futurist principles of simultaneous perspectives and arrested motion. Malevich was actively redefining the role of art, advocating for an aesthetic revolution aligned with the technological and political upheaval dominating the era.

As one of the significant early prints produced by the artist, this work offers essential insight into Malevich's final attempts to incorporate objective subject matter before his full leap into non-objectivity. The surviving physical lithograph resides in the esteemed collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), recognizing its importance within the history of modern art. Due to the nature of this pivotal 1914 artwork, high-quality images and study prints are sometimes available through public domain sources, allowing broader access to this defining moment in the Russian movement.