Pixelscapes and Malevich's "Black Square"
Tom Chambers



During the latter part of 2000, I began to look at the pixel within the context of Abstractionism and Minimalism. I began to equate the pixel with the works of non-objective artists like Vasily Kandinsky, Barnett Newman, Mark Rothko, Ad Reinhardt, Kasimir Malevich, Piet Mondrian and others. They generated works to establish an abstract visual language of the sublime, pure color, geometric form, deep contemplation and metaphysical pursuit of the truth.

The pixel(s) or "Pixelscapes" ... as I call them ... conform with many of these nonobjective artists' works. These "Pixelscapes" were somewhat of a revelation for me when compared to these non-objective works generated 40 years before the pixel and 80 years before the Digital Revolution. It seemed that I had managed to do what Kazimir Malevich and other Minimalists had done through the simple process of magnification and isolation of the pixel(s).

Kazimir Malevich, in particular, invented this new, abstract visual language that he called Suprematism ... the name he gave to paintings consisting of one or more colored geometric shapes on a white field. He wrote of visualizing a state of feeling, of creating through abstract painting a sense of bliss and wonder.

Over the years, I have moved more and more in the direction of Suprematism as I explore Malevich’s famous painting, "Black Square". I propose for this exhibition that a combination of "Pixelscapes" (and their derivatives) and explorations of "Black Square" be mounted to showcase my ongoing journey with the Visual Arts. This combination of art works would involve prints and videos.

"Pixelscapes": early works:

"Pixelscapes": later works:

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