Head 1912

Tadeusz Makowski created this oil painting, "Head," during a period of immense social and artistic change in Europe. The artwork, with its muted palette and fragmented planes, reflects the influence of Cubism, a movement that radically altered the representation of form and space. But there's something more personal here. Makowski, a Polish artist living in Paris, imbues the portrait with a sense of introspection and unease. The sitter's gaze, heavy-lidded and averted, hints at a deeper emotional complexity. Living as an artist abroad at a time of shifting cultural values, Makowski perhaps captured a sense of alienation and contemplation. The fragmented style mirrors the splintering of identity and the search for new ways of understanding the self. It is a deeply intimate portrayal of the human condition during a period of great upheaval.