Little girl’s head 1919

Tadeusz Makowski made this painting, Little Girl's Head, with oil on canvas. I imagine the canvas leant up against a wall as he painted, maybe outside in the sun. The colours are earthy and muted. The blues and reds are peeking through, creating a hazy, dreamlike feel. Her face is pale, almost ghostly, and her eyes stare straight ahead, but what was Makowski thinking when he made it? Was he trying to capture the innocence of childhood, or was there something else, something darker, that he was trying to express? I love the way you can see the brushstrokes, how the paint is layered on top of itself. Each stroke feels like a thought or an emotion, and together they create a portrait of a girl and, at the same time, also a portrait of the artist who made her. Painting is like a conversation between artists across time. Each one builds on what came before, pushing the boundaries of what's possible. Painting is never over.