“Liberated Nothingness”. Eckhart of avant-garde
https://doi.org/10.28995/2073-6401-2019-4-34-47
Abstract
The theory of suprematism, which Kazimir Malevich justified in his tractate “Suprematism. The world as a non-objectivity, or eternal peace” (1922), was a description of his radical artistic experience. “Black Square” (1915) and other suprematiс paintings coincided in time not only with the era of the Revolution of 1917, but also with the flourishing of Russian philosophy. In parallel with the revolution in the society and art, many works related to Malevich’s reflections came out: the translation of Meister Eckhart’s sermons in the publishing house “Musaget” (1912), carried out by Margarita Sabashnikova; “Unfading Light” by Sergei Bulgakov (1917), “Triple image of perfection” (1918) by Mikhail Gershenzon and “The Crisis of Art” (1918) by Nikolai Berdyaev.
Socialist ideas, as well as religious reflections of Russian philosophers were connected with the reception of German and French thought. In this flow of ideas, Malevich formulates his intuition about the non-objectivity and the liberated Nothingness. Gershenzon supports him: their longstanding correspondence traces the main themes of the suprematist’s reflections. When analyzing Malevich’s works, it becomes clear that apophatic theology and mysticism were an important basis for Malevich’s thought. This article will compare the works of Malevich, Eckhart, Berdyaev and Bulgakov and identify the links that shed light on the formation of the theory of Suprematism.
Keywords
apophaticism,
Dionysius the Areopagyte,
Sergey Bulgakov,
Mikhail Gershenzon,
Kazimir Malevich,
Nothingness,
Plato,
Meister Eckhart
Supporting agencies: The paper has been accomplished for the grant 19-011-00610 of the Russian Fund for Fundamental Research “Transcendence and narrative in the development of the modes of historicism”.
About the Author
T. V. Levina
National Research University “Higher School of Economics”
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Tat’yana V. Levina, Cand. of Sci. (Philosophy)
bld. 20, Myasnitskaya Street, Moscow, 101000
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For citations:
Levina T.V. “Liberated Nothingness”. Eckhart of avant-garde. RSUH/RGGU BULLETIN. Series Philosophy. Social Studies. Art Studies. 2019;(4):34-47. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2073-6401-2019-4-34-47
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