Russian Art
Malevich, K. S.
"Harvest". 1928 - 1932
Notes: Harvest.
Throughout his career, Malevich sought to find the pictorial means to celebrate the dignity, strength, and struggles of the Russian peasant.
He probably intended the stark and faceless woman in "Harvest" to convey resilience in the midst of hopelessness -- the pervading mood of the agrarian population during the famine of the period. Malevich generally did not depict the facial features of his peasant figures, perhaps to suggest that they represented an entire class or type of people rather than specific individuals. From a pictorial standpoint, the absence of features both simplifies and strengthens the composition and also forces the viewer to be more active in considering meaning.
