The artwork titled “Head of a Peasant,” created by Kazimir Malevich in 1929, is rendered in oil on wood and belongs to the Neo-Suprematism art movement. It measures 71.7 by 53.8 cm and is part of the “2nd Peasant Cycle” series. This portrait exemplifies Malevich’s innovative approach to depicting rural life through abstract forms and bold colors.
“Head of a Peasant” features a stylized and geometric representation of a peasant’s head, bisected vertically into contrasting red and white segments. The face lacks detailed features, instead, possessing simple, abstract lines for the eyes and nose, which imbues the character with an enigmatic expression. Surrounding the central figure, smaller, similarly abstracted human forms populate a vividly colored, patterned landscape. The scene is set against a backdrop of stylized fields and skies, where the horizontal bands and clusters of shapes suggest an agrarian setting marked by Malevich’s characteristic use of color and form to convey deeper ideological musings on the human condition and societal structures.
