Scene in Paradise 1924

Curator: "Scene in Paradise," from 1924. The hand of Tadeusz Makowski at work, it seems… such raw strokes. What is your first reaction to it? Editor: Disquiet. It looks like paradise crumbling. Those frantic lines—it's a sketch teetering on the edge. Like a memory half-formed. Curator: I feel the same tremor! The way the ink bleeds… a story straining to emerge, wouldn't you agree? The raw watercolour feels confessional, doesn't it? Editor: Indeed. Observe how those sketchy figures in the underpainting mirror classical poses, but lack definition. Makowski is known to bring awareness of the influence of historical art practices into abstract art, and is known to imbue his abstract work with narratives around colonial, religious, and national oppression, the work has the impact of cultural memory—oppressed and fragile, just beyond our grasp. Curator: I love how you draw this connection! Perhaps the "paradise" is an illusion, and the rapid strokes reveal a chaotic core—as a post-WWI piece that idea truly vibrates. A bit melancholic, no? Editor: It is certainly a break with idealism, suggesting, as so many modernists do, a profound skepticism. See, I'm particularly struck by that antlered figure in the centre. Is it a spirit of nature or an omen? Curator: The artist teases us! The being is partially concealed in the tree, offering this beautiful dance between nature and perhaps supernatural forces… something definitely brewing under the surface of reality. A portal of some sort, wouldn't you say? Editor: Precisely! The way the line work emphasizes an ambiguity opens it up to myriad interpretations. We're compelled to question everything presented, including notions of the pastoral idyll. It resonates with a sense of urgency, too, reflecting the tumultuous interwar period and disillusionment with grand narratives. Curator: Indeed, after experiencing a work like this I remember that there's something wonderfully human about that brokenness, which might just offer a sense of hope after all. Editor: Yes. An unraveling perhaps, but also a genesis of questioning, making "Scene in Paradise" an active site of discourse, both within and outside of art history.