Peasant Women in a Church 1912

Kazimir Malevich made this untitled drawing, Peasant Women in a Church, sometime in his career using what looks like pencil or charcoal on paper. The artist has taken an almost graphic approach to the scene. Look at the woman in the very front, and how she’s rendered in a solid, deep tone. See how this makes her stand out, almost like a figure in a woodcut? It gives the whole drawing a very grounded, weighty feel, even though the medium itself is so simple. Then notice the feet of the figures, drawn with simple curved lines, or the hands. It reminds me a bit of Paula Modersohn-Becker's early drawings, that same kind of raw honesty. Both artists were digging deep, trying to capture something essential about the human condition, not just appearances, and they’re both playing with the process to find something honest. Art's not about answers, it's about the conversation, you know?