The Sudden Figure
In the case of Suprematist painting. Rectangle and Circle, the Sudden Figure is sudden in that it is fairly easy to recognize in the simplicity of the work itself. The orientation does not need to be shifted. The circle represents the head and the rectangle represents the torso. Together, they create the image of a figure gazing down, suggesting a solemn mood to the piece. This somber atmosphere is accentuated by the slight tilt in the rectangle.
The figure in Painterly Realism of a Football Player - Color Masses in the 4th Dimension is a little more difficult to recognize, but its existence is revealed in the very title of the piece. The confirmation of its existence makes the search for the figure a little easier. Looking at the painting, the large black shape at the top can represent the head while the yellow object can represent the torso. This is evident just from their relation to each other and its similarity to the shape of a body. The other shapes are less clear, but with the hint that this figure is a football player, then one can observe the long bar connected to the block and see that this painting is capturing an act of motion in the middle of its execution. As the bar swings down, the large block knocks into the next smaller block which rights it and causes it to knock into the red block which rights it and causes it to knock into red bar which swings into the ball. All together, this represents the leg of a football player kicking the ball and just as the human leg is made up of many different parts, so is Malevich's suprematist interpretation of a leg.
With some of Malevich's paintings, it is more difficult to see the Sudden Figure and its sudden explosion to life requires a manipulating of the work, specifically manipulating the orientation. At first glance, Suprematist Composition: Airplane Flying has no figure, or any shape at all. The title suggests that there should be a Sudden Airplane, but upon looking at the piece "upside down" (but not truly upside down, because that would imply that there is a single "correct" orientation) the Sudden Figure can be seen carrying a stack of boxes. The figure is more abstract in that it is not the shape of a complete person, but only the top half. However, it is more complete than other examples in that it is composed of more parts rather than a simple "head" and "torso".
These are just a few examples of the inclusion of a common image in Malevich's works, the Sudden Figure being just one possible example. When the viewer actively searches for these common images, elements of the painting that may have once appeared random or insignificant take on new meanings and allow for more complete interpretations.
