Why is this black square famous?

In this animated lesson created for TED Education, we discover the symbolisms related to Kazimir Malevich’s famous “Black Square” painting and how the painter pushed the boundaries of what art is and what it can be.

The protagonist of the film is of course the painting itself. In this educational video we also feature various other images that represent the work of Malevic, as well as the work of other artists and art styles that influenced his simplistic style. In order to stay true to the historical facts and the informative style of the narration, we decided to follow a visual approach that incorporates actual photos of the paintings, animated typography to highlight certain quotes and design elements inspired from Malevich's paintings.

This compelling animation dives deep into what initially looks as a simple and uninspired black square. What we discover in the process is actually far more complicated and intriguing, as the painting might not even be black square!

The script was developed by TED in collaboration with the educator Allison Leigh.