malevich head of a peasant c1928 Kazimir Malevich (1879-1935)
Kazimir Malevich – malevich head of a peasant c1928
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Painter: Kazimir Malevich
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The liveliness of Genius, the most enigmatic artist of our time and a mystifier by nature, allowed him to reach an artistic peak that art experts still cannot understand where is truth and where is fiction and rumor in his biography. But that doesn’t matter anymore. As a child, he already in his teens loved painting, and after he went to art school. After its completion, the family moved to Kursk, where the young man had already tried to find himself, working in the civil service, however, after a while left this activity for the sake of devoting his life to painting. Casimir developed subjects and themes, using illogism and very clever realism.
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Description of the painting "Peasant’s Head" by Kazimir Malevich
The liveliness of Genius, the most enigmatic artist of our time and a mystifier by nature, allowed him to reach an artistic peak that art experts still cannot understand where is truth and where is fiction and rumor in his biography. But that doesn’t matter anymore.
As a child, he already in his teens loved painting, and after he went to art school. After its completion, the family moved to Kursk, where the young man had already tried to find himself, working in the civil service, however, after a while left this activity for the sake of devoting his life to painting.
Casimir developed subjects and themes, using illogism and very clever realism. He used the irrationality of images as a tool to disrupt classical art. His paintings are built on a shocking amalgamation of various lumpy elements, which he puts together in a single composition, filled with a peculiar meaningfulness that humiliates by its incomprehensibility the ordinary interpretation of paintings.
"Peasant’s Head" is a sketch for Malevich’s grandiose work "Peasant Funeral", which has not yet been found. It is either lost or destroyed by someone.
In this picture the artist, who began to write in the supranaturalistic genre, appeared the horizon, as the author himself said. The whole space has acquired a volume and now you can guess where the fields are and where the people working on them are.
This painting takes on an authentic meaning thanks to the eyes, because the rest of the shapes are irreal resembling humans. The exterior is rectangular and resembles a chessboard with multicolored divisions into several parts. The nose is only present on one side. But if you look at the picture as a whole, you can see a tired peasant on the background of the field and rural works. It may also be noted that this work reflects a peculiar tradition of Russian icon painting.
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The head itself appears to be tilted slightly upward, giving an impression of stoicism or perhaps resignation. Above the figure, a landscape unfolds – a stylized field populated with small, uniformly dressed figures arranged in neat rows. A blue sky punctuated by what appear to be abstracted birds completes the scene. The background is rendered with broad strokes and simplified forms, creating a sense of distance and detachment.
The work seems to explore themes of identity and collectivity. The fractured nature of the face suggests a breakdown or deconstruction of individual personality, potentially reflecting societal pressures or ideological constraints. The uniformity of the figures in the landscape implies a collective identity, perhaps representing rural labor or a standardized social structure.
The stark contrast between the fragmented portrait and the orderly background creates tension. It could be interpreted as a commentary on the relationship between the individual and the group, highlighting either the suppression of individuality within a larger system or the potential for harmony through conformity. The limited color range contributes to the overall sense of austerity and seriousness.
The artist’s choice to depict a figure with such simplified features suggests an attempt to move beyond superficial representation towards a more symbolic exploration of human existence and its place within a broader social context.