Merey village 1926

This is Tadeusz Makowski’s oil painting, "Merey village". Note how the composition centers around a winding road, its curves echoed by the rolling hills in the background. The earthy palette of ochre, umber, and sienna is laid on with thick brushstrokes, creating a tactile, almost sculptural surface. The painting's power lies in its ability to destabilize our expectations of perspective and depth. The buildings are simplified into geometric forms, challenging our conventional understanding of representation. Makowski was deeply engaged with early modernism and structuralist thought. This is seen in the way the artist reduces the landscape to its essential components, emphasizing the underlying formal structures. The semiotic system at play here uses color and form to evoke a sense of rural life, yet resists a fixed or singular reading. Notice again how the structural elements contribute not only to the aesthetic appeal but also to the painting's ability to open up into a wider conversation about perception and representation.