Form/Content: Black Cross

Kazimir Malevich created Black Cross as a way to relate to the Russian people's religiousness. The form of the painting is the black cross set on a white background. The content is the symbolism of the Russian people's simple devoutness. Interestingly, Malevich's paintings fell out of favor with the people they were created for (normal, everyday people in Russia), and he was eventually persecuted by Joseph Stalin, who had a distinct distrust for modern artists.