moma:

Kazimir Malevich, born today in 1878, was one of the pioneers of abstract art. In December 1915, Malevich unveiled a radically new mode of abstract painting that abandoned all reference to the outside world in favor of colored geometric shapes floating against white backgrounds. Because his new style claimed supremacy over the forms of nature, he called it “Suprematism.” 

[Kazimir Malevich. Suprematist Painting. 1916-17]