El Lissitzky's About Two Squares appeared in Berlin in 1922. Subtitled A Suprematist Tale of Two Squares in Six Constructions, the illustrated book follows a red square and a black square arriving from space. Its elementary shapes carry a story, extending the language of abstract painting into a sequence of printed pages.
The pictured spread introduces the two squares with deliberately different orientations. Fine rules, widely spaced words, and a long angular line organize the otherwise open paper. Type changes direction and scale, so reading involves looking across the page as well as following a sentence. The limited palette allows small shifts of position to become conspicuous.
MoMA interprets the competing squares in relation to the new Soviet order and Lissitzky's movement from Suprematism toward Constructivism. MIT Press also emphasizes the book's reconsideration of the relationship between text and image. The result connects pure geometry with communication: a square can remain an abstract form while becoming a character through placement, sequence, and contrast.
White on White by Kazimir Malevich
