Peasant in the Fields 1929

Kazimir Malevich made this painting of a peasant in the fields with oils. The way the colours are layered on, one next to the other, it is as if the work is being built, brick by brick. I notice that the figure is made up of geometric shapes, simplified and abstracted. Look at the hands, which have only a few lines to indicate fingers. The paint is flat, almost matte, and there is no indication of brushstrokes. It's as if the painting was constructed rather than painted, each shape carefully placed. The dark blue lines of the legs echo the deep blue of the sky above, which gives the whole figure a sense of groundedness. Thinking about the work of Mondrian and his journey towards pure abstraction makes me see Malevich in a new light. Neither is better, it is about embracing art's ability to present something without a fixed meaning.