Wedding in a village 1924

Tadeusz Makowski conjured this village wedding with paint, likely oil, giving it a whimsical, dreamlike quality. Look at the sandy, muted colors, and how the figures are outlined, almost like cutouts arranged on a stage. I can imagine Makowski, brush in hand, carefully placing each figure, each building, piecing together this scene like a memory. Did he have a real wedding in mind, or was he inventing this from folklore? It feels so personal, like an echo of childhood wonder. Maybe he wanted to see the world through the eyes of a child again. There’s a sweetness, but also a quiet melancholy. Those dancing figures, for example—are they celebrating, or trying to escape? The painting is so aware of the space between things, not just the things themselves. And those roosters! Maybe Makowski was amused by their funny shapes and included them as an inside joke. Painting, like humor, lets us see the world a little off-kilter, which can be a beautiful thing.