Suprematist Composition

The present composition and the following Suprematist Collage were executed by Chashnik in 1923, a pivotal date in the brief life of the Russian Suprematist, who died aged only twenty-seven in 1929. Having graduated from the art school at Vitebsk in 1922, in 1923 he followed his mentor Malevich to Saint Petersbourg, where he started working for the Lomosov Porcelain Factory. The artistic milieu of the factory was extremely dynamic, inspiring Chashnik to create some of his purest Suprematist compositions. With Nikolai Suetin (see lot 562), he produced in these years a series of innovative designs for ceramics, based on a fusion of Suprematist geometric design and traditional Russian patterns.

One of the most promising young creators within Malevich's loyal coterie of followers, Chashnik developed his master's Suprematist credo leaving a remarkable corpus of exquisite graphic exercises.