Figural composition 1917

This watercolor figural composition was made by Zygmunt Waliszewski; it’s like a half-remembered dream, isn't it? The quick, washy strokes of color suggest that he was working fast, trying to capture something fleeting. Look at the red around the chest and down the leg. It's like Waliszewski is outlining a raw vitality. And the figure on top—are they standing or floating? What’s with the headdress? I imagine Waliszewski, in his studio, thinking about form, color, and the push and pull between abstraction and figuration. Like he’s conjuring something from the depths of his subconscious, searching for new ways to represent the human form. The dark and muted colors of the lower figure are in stark contrast to the reds and yellows of the top one. It makes me think of Picasso, maybe Léger. Painters are always looking at each other, arguing with each other, egging each other on. Each one is in a conversation across time.