Conservation 

Preliminary conservation started in London early last year. Since our senior conservator Lars Byström is a specialist on Malevich, it was decided that he would personally complete the conservation at Moderna Museet.

After the conservation:

Kasimir Malevich
Suprematist Composition.
Black with White Rectangle, 1915
© Kasimir Malevich

Picture area: 80 x 80 cm.

Total area: 86 x 85 cm.

The white rectangle measures 45.7 x 35.3 cm (lower left-hand corner). Oil on canvas.

Moderna Museet First showing: 18 January 2005
Donated to Moderna Museet by Bengt and Jelena Jangfeldt in February 2004.

In June, Lars Byström went to Århus to discuss the painting with Bent Hacke at the Kunstmuseernas Faelleskonservering. “We reviewed Bent Hacke’s conservation of Malevich’s Black Cross, which is now in the Centre Pompidou collection. It was more damaged than ours, with flaking paint and damages to the canvas,” says Lars Byström. “Like ours, it had a B marked against one edge on the reverse side, indicating which side was up.”

After contacts with the conservation department at Nationalmuseum in Copenhagen, Mads C Christensen visited Moderna Museet on 11 August to take the samples needed for a thorough examination of the painting’s pigment, binding agents, canvas structure, etc. Christensen had also performed this examination on Black Cross. “It would be hard to find better comparative material than a Malevich painting from 1915,” says Lars Byström.

Technical examination of the work
The technical examination was performed using optic microscopy, scanning-electron microscopy (SEM-EDS), FT-infra red spectroscopy (FT-IR) and gaschromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

SEM-EDS: A sample is bombarded with an electron beam in a scanning electron microscope. Some of the atoms react to the higher energy level, and when they return to the original level they radiate Roentgen rays characteristic of each element.

GC/MS: With gaschromatography (GC) we can separate volatile organic substances. By combining mass spectrometry (MS) with GC, we achieve a sensitive detection and analysis of the separated substances.

FT-IR: Used to determine the sample’s absorption of IR-radiation in a wavelength spectrum of 4000-400 cm-1. Since molecules with different structures absorb IR radiation in different ways, the IR spectrum can be used to obtain a “fingerprint” of the molecule.

Results of the technical examination
- The underlying material consists of a coarse-grained, loosely woven canvas with both warp and weft made of linen. - The tightness is 9 x 9.3 threads per cm2. ( 14 x 12 per cm2 in Black Cross) - The canvas appears to have been prepared with an animal glue. (Same as Black Cross) - The primer consists of zink white, ZnO, with an addition of barium sulphate, BaSO4, and linseed oil as the binding agent. (Same as Black Cross, with slightly less BaSO4) - The white paint consists of pure zink white, the black is ivory black, C+ Ca3(PO4)2. Walnut oil has been used as binding agent for both. (Same as Black Cross) - No signs that the painting has been varnished. - A red tone is discernible in the white, especially at the bottom, and there is evidence that this could be red lead (presumably from the palette).

The painting was also examined to see if there was black paint under the white, but there were no signs of this. The layers of paint have obviously been applied separately. A study of the edges, where the black meets the white, indicates beyond a doubt that the white section was painted last.

Judging by the holes in the canvas where it has been folded over the side, the painting has only been mounted once on a stretcher.

Dating the work
Our conclusion that the work was most probably painted in 1915 is based on the sketch Composition suprématiste from 1915, a letter from Nikolai Chardzjiev mentioning that the painting was shown at the 0,10 exhibition in Petrograd in 1915, and the comparative technical examination of Black Cross.

Conservation process
In London the following steps were taken:
- The painting, which had been rolled up for several decades, was planed out repeatedly on a low-vacuum table at 40 degrees Celsius, 25 mbar pressure.

- All loose paint around the edges was consolidated with sturgeon glue and a spatula heated to 40 degrees Celsius.

- Small holes in the canvas were filled with Stabilitex (a thin, gaseous polyester material) which had been impregnated with BEVA 371.

- The edges of the painting were then reinforced with flax strips and BEVA 371 film. The painting was mounted on a stretcher and fastened on the back so that all the original edges are free from tacks or staples.

Moderna Museet then performed the following steps:
- All replacement of perished material and retouching. Inpainting of the black nuances. The black nuances are painted very thinly and are very matte. Few brush strokes are visible in the main black areas. Where the paint is slightly thicker clear brush strokes are perceptible, especially in the upper section of the painting. The white rectangle, however, is painted more thickly, and short, distinct brush strokes are evident.

Large flakes of paint are missing especially along the edges, revealing the canvas. The primer is also gone from those areas. The prior consolidation of paint around the edges of the flakings was insufficient and was therefore redone.

To give more depth to the excessively dull sections without perceptibly changing the matte finish, the entire painting was sprayed with Plexisol P550 8% diluted in mineral turpentine.

Prior to retouching the damages, the canvas had to be isolated. “A chalk primer seemed wrong, because a residue could build up in the coarse, matte surface,” says Lars Byström. “Also, it is virtually impossible to make it ultra-thin and smooth. Instead. I decided to use a grey vinyl paint, Flasche, which forms a thin, protective coat in the canvas.”

The damages in the white rectangular field were filled in with a chalk-based spackle and the surrounding brush strokes were emulated. The white field was retouched with multiple layers of mixed zink white. The black was retouched using ivory black mixed with light ochre, Mussini oil paint where the oil had been extracted and replaced by mineral turpentine as the only medium. Additional retouching was performed with dry pigments and Aquazol.

The title of the work
Malevich’s paintings do not really have titles. Traditionally, however, descriptive titles have been used for many years when referring to his works. White Rectangle on Black Ground was the working title. After researching the work, the museum has decided to call the work Suprematist Composition. Black with White Rectangle. This title is based on the fact that the white rectangle is not painted on top of a black background, but within its own frame, with the black painted around its perimeter.

This text is based on information provided by Lars Byström, Moderna Museet.