When Kasimir Malevich’s Black Square was produced in 1915, no one had ever seen anything like it before. And yet it does have precedents. In fact, over the previous five hundred years, several painters, writers, philosophers, scientists and censors – each working independently towards an absolute statement of their own – alighted on the form of the black square or rectangle, as if for the first time. This book explores the resonances between Malevich’s Black Square and its precursors, showing how a ‘genealogical’ thread binds them together into an intriguing, and sometimes quirky, sequence of modulations. Andrew Spira discovers how each predecessor both foreshadows Malevich’s work and, paradoxically, throws light on it, revealing layers of meaning that are often overlooked but which are as relevant today as ever.

Andrew Spira’s Foreshadowed sets out to trace the various dark paths, cultural, philosophical and iconographic, that led to Malevich’s square. Some of these seem far-fetched, but turn out not to be. * TLS *
When Kasimir’s Malevich’s Black Square was produced in 1915, no one had ever seen anything like it before. And yet it does have precedents. In fact, over the previous five hundred years, several painters, writers, philosophers, scientists, and censors alighted on the form of the black square or rectangle, as if for the first time. Foreshadowed: Malevich’s "Black Square" and Its Precursors explores the resonances between Malevich’s Black Square and its precursors, revealing layers of meaning that are often overlooked but which are as relevant today as ever. * New Books Network *
Andrew Spira has written an extraordinary and fascinating book about one of the simplest paintings ever made. Brilliant, witty, personal and inspired, it is full of surprises. * John Milner, author of Kazimir Malevich and the Art of Geometry *
This is a thought-provoking book which provides the philosophical background to the emergence of the most mysterious painting of the 20th century – Black Square by Kazimir Malevich – and enhances our understanding of it by making some completely new observations. Placing Malevich’s Black Square in the most interesting and intriguing context, Andrew Spira develops a fascinating narrative that explores the possible precursors, origins, context and meaning of this iconic painting. * Natalia Murray, Associate Lecturer and Senior Curator, The Courtauld Institute of Art *

Andrew Spira is an independent art historian and the author of several books, including The Avant-Garde Icon: Russian Avant-Garde Art and the Icon Painting Tradition (2008).