Still life with pears 1914

Tadeusz Makowski made this painting of pears with what looks like oil paint, and I can imagine him, brush in hand, trying to figure out how to make these humble fruits sing on the canvas. I see a dance of greens, yellows, and browns, a real earthy palette. The paint is laid on thick, almost like he's building up the pears, one stroke at a time. You can almost feel the weight of his hand, the pressure he put into each mark. Look how he defines the shapes with these bold outlines, kind of like stained glass, but messier, more human. I can almost see him stepping back, squinting, adding a dab of red here, a touch of ochre there, coaxing the pears into being. What I love about painting is that it’s like a conversation with the past, a nod to all the painters who’ve wrestled with light and form before. It's not about perfection; it's about the messy, beautiful act of seeing and feeling.