Landscape at sunset 1906

Tadeusz Makowski made this landscape at sunset with oil paint on canvas, and I can just imagine him out in the open air, brush in hand. The canvas is filled with soft, pastel colors—oranges, greens, and pinks—that blend together in gentle strokes. Look at the way he captures the light reflecting off the water, those dabs of orange paint dancing on the surface. It must have taken so much concentration to arrive at this final image! The paint is thin, almost translucent in places, allowing the canvas to peek through and adding to the dreamy, atmospheric quality. I love how the trees on the right are just hinted at, their forms dissolving into the mist. You can almost feel the cool, damp air and hear the gentle lapping of the waves. Painters have always been in conversation with each other across time. Makowski was surely looking at the Impressionists who came before him. Painting allows for multiple interpretations, and there’s no right or wrong way to experience it.