Partial Eclipse (Composition with the Mona Lisa) — History & Facts
Partial Eclipse (Composition with the Mona Lisa) is a mixed-media work created by Kazimir Malevich in 1914, combining oil, collage, and graphite on canvas. The composition features a variety of geometric forms and fragments of text, characteristic of Malevich’s engagement with Cubo-Futurism during this period. The work’s title appears in Russian at the upper left, and a reproduction of the Mona Lisa is integrated into the collage, marked with prominent red crosses. The image is dominated by overlapping rectangles and angular shapes in black, white, pink, blue, and brown, creating a fragmented, layered effect.
A black square occupies the upper center, partially covering the background and intersecting with other colored planes. The collaged reproduction of the Mona Lisa is placed slightly left of center, with red X marks drawn over it, and Russian text beneath. The surface incorporates both painted and collaged elements, with visible graphite lines and areas of exposed canvas. This work was completed in 1914, during a period when Kazimir Malevich was developing his abstract visual language and experimenting with collage and mixed media.
The use of text and popular imagery reflects the influence of Cubism and Futurism in Russia at the time. Partial Eclipse (Composition with the Mona Lisa) belongs to the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg.
More Artworks by Kazimir Malevich

Red Square
Kazimir Malevich

Suprematist Composition: White on White
Kazimir Malevich

Black Square
Kazimir Malevich

The Woodcutter
Kazimir Malevich

Untitled
Kazimir Malevich

Sensation of danger
Kazimir Malevich

Woman with Pails: Dynamic Arrangement
Kazimir Malevich

Morning in the Village after Snowstorm
Kazimir Malevich

The Knife Grinder
Kazimir Malevich

Suprematism (Supremus no. 56)
Kazimir Malevich



