Precedents of the Unprecedented: Black Squares Before Malevich

> Black Square was not simply a two-dimensional surface, parallel to a single wall and projecting outwards from it in one direction. Judging from the way it was displayed when first exhibited in 1915 — across the corner of the room (like a Russian icon) and as high up as possible — it was required to project from two walls and the ceiling, i.e. in three dimensions, embracing the room over which it presided as a cubic space.

Black Square’s artistic merit is precisely because it was intended to occupy the space in the room that an icon traditionally would, and implied the absence (or rejection) of God.

As such, while more technical, than conceptual or historical, there are now blacks that absorb light to degrees that were impossible before and are magical to see, even in pure sunlight. In 2016, an Indian-born British artist named Anish Kapoor was given exclusive rights to use Vantablack, the darkest material in the world with an absorption rate of 99.96%; Black 3.0 and Musou Black, which absorption rates are lower were created in response to Kapoor being only artist allowed to use Vantablack. To see examples, just Google keywords like: blackest black, vantablack vs black 3.0 vs musou black.