Kazimir Malevich, Self-Portrait in Two Dimensions, 1915

This is an oil painting on the 80*62cm canvas. It is a grouping of six geometric shapes, including four rectangles, one ring and one trapezoid. On the top middle, there is a black square. A yellow rectangle is situated on the bottom left of the black square, along with a smaller brown ring in parallel and a smaller brown square in perpendicular. The blue trapezoid and the black short-long rectangle are situated on the bottom right of the painting. Their orientation is a bit different from others with the longer side of trapezoid facing towards the to-be intersection of the big black square and the yellow rectangle.

During his solo exhibition in Berlin in 1927 the artist hung this work upside down. I am very interested in exploring the messages the image conveys when it is displayed in two orientations. Besides, I found it intriguing how the ring is playing an subtle role in making all the shapes work together - creating a dynamic and harmony. And the third reason I chose this work is because it is titled to be a self-portrait, establishing a more direct link between this work and the author's style, thought and personality.