Głowa chłopca w kapeluszu 1925

This is Tadeusz Makowski’s study of a boy’s head, painted in oil on canvas. It's all gentle brushstrokes, mostly in an understated palette of creams and browns. I wonder how long it took to build this face? How many times did he wipe it out and start again? The artist seems to have paid particular attention to the eyes, using deep blacks to draw us in. And then there's this delicate blush on the boy’s cheeks and ear that gives him a certain vulnerability. The paint is thinly applied, allowing the texture of the canvas to peek through. Makowski shares an interest in the lives of children with other painters such as Henryk Gotlib and Chaim Soutine. Painters like Makowski inspire me – they remind me we are all just figuring things out as we go, adding our voices to the mix. And that’s what keeps the conversation going!