Fragment of a city in a fog 1911

Tadeusz Makowski made this oil painting, Fragment of a city in a fog, at an unknown date. The overall impression is soft, almost dreamlike, with the buildings emerging from a hazy background. Up close, you can see how Makowski built up the image with small, deliberate strokes. Look at how the paint isn't blended smoothly, but instead, each brushstroke retains its individuality, giving the surface a textured, almost mosaic-like quality. The color palette is muted, dominated by grays and browns, which adds to the foggy atmosphere. The pink circle of the sun is especially striking. It reminds me a little of James McNeill Whistler's atmospheric studies of London. But where Whistler sought to capture fleeting moments of beauty, Makowski seems more interested in the process of painting itself. Fragment of a city in a fog embraces ambiguity, inviting us to see the world not as it is, but as it could be.