A simple black square by Russian artist Kazimir Malevich was first presented to the public in 1915. What a sensation! At the same time the image caused both incomprehension and rejection – the viewer could neither make out representational features nor see shapes or lines in this composition. While the First World War was already raging in Europe, Malevich had created an unprecedented painting implying a dark premonition of the future. Today Black Suprematic Square by Malevich is an icon of modern painting mentioned in countless books about 20th-century art. During his life the artist himself referred to his masterpiece several times in his work, just like in his self-portrait…