Malevich's The Reapers is a painting that both enhances and dramatizes the feelings of the Russian people during the Russian Revolution in 1917. By using the Suprematist style for this work Malevich shows how with less you can do more. Suprematist style goes back to the roots of art by focusing on the key shapes that define the world. Malevich uses this to his advantage to show human nature in its raw form. Violence is a basic instinct and as the Russians experienced this violence with it came human nature in its crudest form. I think that Malevich through the use of his simplistic style was trying to show how harsh human nature can be when corrupted by violence during the most terrible of times.
Edward Jones's The Beguiling of Merlin is at first glance a beautiful painting and at second glance is still a beautiful painting and nothing more; no depth or story to the painting. Unlike The Reapers, which share the feelings of an entire country, The Beguiling of Merlin is almost like a tangible form of gossip, as if the artist is making fun of Merlin for falling to a woman's charms. The Aesthetic style of art is focusing on the beauty and detail of the art not the story behind it. This painting works to show how the way you looked was more important than how you simply felt. It shows how in one of the most prosperous times for people the feelings of life was lost to how you appeared to others.
Suprematism is a direct reaction from Aestheticism. Aestheticism is all about the beauty of things and almost seems to work towards complicating matters, suiting the lavish, almost ridiculous lifestyle of Victorian Era society. Suprematism, among other things, highlights how shallow the Victorian Era and Aesthetic art was by using less to tell more, to express more.
Aestheticism art is almost a tangible form of Victorian Era high society. Aesthetic art uses a lot, not to say anything, but merely to look beautiful. Victorian Era high society was nearly the same as its art being all about rank, privilege and most of all luxury.
