Babie Lato 1875

Babie Lato was painted by Józef Chełmoński, using oil paints. The way he laid these down on the canvas is really striking. Chełmoński uses visible brushstrokes to convey the texture of the landscape and the roughspun clothes of the peasant woman. Look closely, and you'll see how the paint almost seems to mimic the coarse texture of the earth and the unrefined cloth. The visible brushstrokes create a sense of immediacy. He wasn’t aiming for a smooth, polished surface. Instead, Chełmoński embraced the materiality of paint to tell the story of labor, rural life, and the sheer effort involved in earning a living. This isn't just about the scene, but about the physical act of depicting it. It's about the relationship between the artist, his materials, and the world he's representing. Seeing the world through the making of art.