malevich peasants c1928-9 Kazimir Malevich (1879-1935)

Description of the painting "Peasants" by Kazimir Malevich

It is difficult to imagine twentieth-century art without such an iconic artist as Kazimir Malevich. It was he who in his time vividly reflected all the distortions and paradoxes of humanity for the entire world.

Malevich sought to reveal art from different sides. In the painting The Peasants, which later laid the foundation for an entire cycle about the complex life of the peasantry, three ordinary working peasants are shown. At the very beginning of the development of this subject, the artist believed that the life of a "peasant from the countryside" is easy and simple, because you do not need to know a thousand sciences, as well as an incredible number of rules of grammar. Only when he arrived in the fields, where the peasants toil in the sweat of their faces, he realizes that their life is much more difficult.

Malevich decides to attract the audience to the problems of the peasantry and creates a unique painting called The Peasants. Heroes are deliberately shown in one plane with hypertrophied figures to enhance the images. There is no hint of detailing of any parts, only the singular symbolism of colors:

• Blue, which fills most of the canvas, signifies simplicity of soul, openness to the world and constancy of spirit

• The yellow-brown shade means belonging and interrelation with the earth and the environment

• The green color in the center, harmonizing between the symmetrical white, - denotes the symbol of balance, the cyclic nature of life and closeness to nature.

• Black is a characteristic mask, covering all the faces with a black veil and not giving any details to discern. This color signifies the difficulty, aimlessness of life in this world and the constant struggle with the higher classes, despite the abolition of serfdom.

• The white color is presented as a symbol of hope for the future, in harmony with the cycle of all life and the image itself. Light clothing signifies a movement forward, with the goal of making nature unchallenged, which would mean a chance to purify oneself from all that is worldly.

• But attaining enlightenment is difficult, and not everyone in this world is given it. The color red signifies the difficulties and obstacles that will have to be overcome to find the place where a cloudless sky and "white" freedom await.

By giving the painting symbolism, Malevich achieved a greater result than his artist friends. His canvas can be analyzed for hours, and each time you discover something new.