Suprematism

Revised art guide in progress by Dominican University / COD practicum student Kathleen Gomez - sp 2016

Suprematism was founded by a Russian artist named Kazimir Malevich. He wanted to create art based on the "supremacy of artistic feeling" and made paintings that were completely geometric and abstract. They could be polychromatic, using primary colors, or monochromatic, such as "White on White" in 1918. It was in part a direct response to the materialism of Constructivism.

Art Guide Home | Modernist Home

  1. Reference Books
  2. Circulating Books
  3. Databases and Websites

Reference Books

Confused about your topic, or not sure where to begin? Start here! Reference books are written to give you a good general overview of a topic. Print reference works are for in-library use only; ebooks can be viewed on and off campus if you have a current COD library card. The reference section is on the first floor of the library, behind the staircase. You can use the catalog or Reference Universe to find both print and electronic reference books.

  • … isms: Understanding Art - N6447.5 .L58 2004
    • This neat little resource defines art movements from the Renaissance forward. Each chapter is color coded by movement, and it uses icons to tell you similar and different movements, glossary terms, and more. Features a table of contents; color photos; glossary; and timeline.
    • See Chapter 44: “Suprematism” pg 112-3
  • 30,000 Years of Art - N5300 .A14 2015
    • This little book is a huge timeline of art, from prehistory to contemporary! Each page contains a color photo of an artwork, the bibliographic information, and a short article. Each entry is color coded on the bottom edge of the page depending on the continent the work originated from. There is a smaller timeline of just text at the end, before the index.
    • See pg 515
  • Grove Dictionary of Art - N31 .D5 1996
    • This is an older resource, but one of the most comprehensive art resources there is. The articles and biographies are a little longer, and features black and white photos and illustrations, maps, and an index. Also part of Oxford Art Online!
    • See “Suprematism” Volume 30, pg 6-8
  • The Oxford Companion to to Western Art - N33 .O923 2001
    • Oxford is one of the premier publishers for art and architecture. This book offers concise articles on Western art movements, artists, and art history. Also available in e-book.
    • See “Suprematism” pg 729
  • Oxford Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture - NA31 .C864 2006
    • Oxford is one of the premier publishers for art and architecture. This dictionary contains short, concise entries on architects as well as architectural terms and periods. Features black and white photos and illustrations and a bibliography after each entry.
    • See “Suprematism” pg 756

Circulating Books

These are books you can check out! They can get more specific than reference books and are located on the second floor of the library. You can search the catalog before going up or click the box below to see the call numbers for art books so you can browse the shelves. If you find a book while searching that looks awesome but that we don't own, you can submit an inter-library loan request through I-Share and another library will send you the book for free! You will need a COD library card to check books out.

Ask a Library staff member to show you where the "N" and "T" books are located.

N - general works of art
NA - works on architecture
NB - sculpting
NC - drawing
ND - painting
NE - print media
NK - decorative arts & ceramics
NX - special topics in art
TR - photography


  • Art in the Modern Era: A Guide to Styles, Schools & Movements 1860 to the Present - N6490 .D415 2002
    • This book is a chronological look of each art movement from Impressionism to the early 2000s. Each chapter is short and concise, giving you a brief overview of the period. There's a cool fold-out timeline at beginning! Features a table of contents; black and white and color photos; a dictionary of art styles; and index.
  • Kazimir Malevich - N6999 .M34 H55 1992
    • A very short biography and intro to Malevich's work. Features black and white and color photos and bibliography.
  • Kazimir Malevich - N6999 .M34 D67 1994
    • Skim this biography of Malevich and a chronological and evolutionary offering of his art. Features a table of contents; black and white and color photos; and chronology.
  • Malevich - ND699 .M224 A4 1996
    • A very short intto to Malevich and his work, as well as the time and political climate he worked in. There isn't a table of contents but there are paragraph headings for easy skimming. Features black and white and color photos and bibliography.

Databases and Websites

All these are web resources that the COD library has subscribed to or that have been gathered from the internet that are helpful for this topic!

Databases - Best Bets

Below are library databases where you can access journal articles and other content. Most of these may be accessed from off-campus, but you must have a COD library card to do so.

Some suggested keywords and subject terms to use when searching for articles on this subject are:
- “Suprematism”
- “Suprematism (Art)”
- “Suprematism in art”

  • Academic OneFile
    • Contains nearly 13,000 indexed journals, newspapers, and magazines, most peer reviewed and many full-text. The research is very current, not much historical content, but there are a wide range of topics covered. There's a really cool topic finder on the search results page, which gives you keywords related to your search! You have the option to save, download, or email the text or MP3 of the article, and you can make a free account to highlight and make notes on the article within the database.
  • Academic Search Complete
    • Contains over 9000 journals, about 7000 of which are full-text. Some journals go back to 1880’s so you can get historical and recent publications on any given topic. There are plenty of options to narrow your search and to save and cite your article.
  • Art & Architecture Complete
    • Similar to Academic Search Complete except it contains only art-specific publications! If you're looking for the subject browsing function, it's titled Thesaurus.
  • Artstor
    • Find images of artworks that can be used in papers and presentations! You can search or browse by geography, media, or museum/gallery collections. Make a free account to save, organize, cite, or export images. Take a look through their subject guides to get ideas for your next project! See the Artstor Quick Start Guide for tips on using this resource.
  • Oxford Art Online
    • An art major's best friend. This database includes the full text of Grove Art Online, the Oxford Companion to Western Art, the Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, and The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art Terms. Your one-stop shop for scholarly articles, biographies, and definitions of all things art-related.

Websites

These resources were compiled from the internet. No library card required!