 At this point Lissitzky subscribed fully to suprematism and , under the guidance of Malevich , helped further develop the movement . In 1919 – 1920 Lissitzky was a head of Architectural department at the People 's Art School where with his students , primarily Lazar Khidekel , he was working on transition from plane to volumetric suprematism . Lissitzky designed On the New System of Art by Malevich , who responded in December 1919 : " Lazar Markovich , I salute you on the publication of this little book " . Perhaps the most famous work by Lissitzky from the same period was the 1919 propaganda poster " Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge " . Russia was going through a civil war at the time , which was mainly fought between the " Reds " ( communists , socialists and revolutionaries ) and the " Whites " ( monarchists , conservatives , liberals and other socialists who opposed the Bolshevik Revolution ) . The image of the red wedge shattering the white form , simple as it was , communicated a powerful message that left no doubt in the viewer 's mind of its intention . The piece is often seen as alluding to the similar shapes used on military maps and , along with its political symbolism , was one of Lissitzky 's first major steps away from Malevich 's non @-@ objective suprematism into a style his own . He stated : " The artist constructs a new symbol with his brush . This symbol is not a recognizable form of anything that is already finished , already made , or already existent in the world – it is a symbol of a new world , which is being built upon and which exists by the way of the people . " 
