Girl against the background of a landscape with a windmill 1920

Tadeusz Makowski painted "Girl against the background of a landscape with a windmill" with oil on canvas, and what strikes me is the tender, almost clumsy application of paint, each brushstroke a little world of its own. I can imagine Makowski in front of his canvas, perhaps a bit unsure, building up the image layer by layer, searching for the right balance between the figure and the landscape. The colors are muted, earthy – browns and greens – creating a sense of quiet melancholy. The windmill, a symbol of rural life, stands sentinel in the background, while the girl, with her simple dress and direct gaze, seems both present and distant. It’s like Makowski is channeling some kind of folk art tradition, but with a modernist sensibility. This girl feels timeless, as if she’s stepped out of a fairy tale, or a dream. The painting asks us to slow down, to look closely, and to find beauty in the everyday. What a touching, beautiful work.