Self-portrait study 1920

Editor: So, here we have Tadeusz Makowski’s "Self-Portrait Study" from 1920, done with oil paint. I find the way the face is built up from such thick strokes almost unsettling. What do you see in this piece, particularly concerning the symbols or hidden imagery? Curator: It’s interesting you say unsettling. I find that quality quite revealing. Notice how the artist doesn't give us a clear, representational face. The distorted features—the almost floral quality of the eyes and lips—are symbols of a self in flux, a self perhaps fractured or even masked. It is a very telling distortion; does it remind you of anything specific? Editor: Hmm, masks…you mean like theatrical masks, maybe hinting at different roles we play? Curator: Precisely. Or think about the cultural memory of masks in ritual—hiding, transforming, invoking spirits. Makowski might be suggesting that identity itself is a constructed image. Do you notice anything about how light seems to play a role in all this? Editor: Yes, there are these sharp contrasts, where some parts of the face are really illuminated, while others are hidden in shadow. Maybe it suggests a struggle between his public and private self? Curator: A wonderful observation! Consider that the light source is ambiguous. Could that uncertain illumination symbolize the elusive nature of truth, of *self*-knowledge? The heavy brushstrokes add another layer, don't they? They obscure and simultaneously reveal, creating a tension that resonates deeply. Editor: I hadn’t thought of it that way, it makes the portrait feel less like a likeness and more like a raw exploration of identity. Curator: It's about excavating beneath the surface, isn't it? Visual symbols become keys that unlock something deeper than outward appearance. Editor: It certainly gives me a lot to think about when I look at other self-portraits now! Curator: Indeed. And hopefully you will now engage in finding hidden messages everywhere!