Dawn. The Kingdom of Birds 1906

Józef Chełmoński painted ‘Dawn. The Kingdom of Birds’ with oil on canvas, and it’s just a riot of process! The painting feels like a memory, softened by the passage of time. The birds are these quick, dark strokes, like notes in a visual diary, captured wet-on-wet. The paint is laid on in thin layers, creating this hazy, dreamlike effect. Everything is muted, like the world is just waking up, still wrapped in the colours of sleep. Look at the reeds on the right. See how the brushstrokes are loose and gestural? They give you just enough information to read as reeds, but they're more about feeling than describing. It’s about suggestion, an openness to interpretation. I’m reminded of Corot’s landscapes, with their silvery light and poetic mood. But where Corot is all about stillness, Chełmoński gives us movement. Both artists, though, remind us that painting isn't about nailing down a single truth, but embracing the endless possibilities of seeing.