Three heads, hope 

Jacek Malczewski painted “Three heads, hope” without indicating the year it was made. This means that the context in which this painting was created is especially relevant to understand it. The figure in the foreground is most likely the artist himself, and the rural landscape and angelic figure are an attempt to define Polish identity in the late 19th and early 20th century, in a period when Poland did not exist as a nation. Malczewski was part of the Young Poland movement, which promoted symbolism and art for art's sake. However, he also wanted to remind people of Poland’s history and promote a sense of national identity. The angel figure is an allegory of hope, and the crops of wheat are a reference to the importance of agriculture in Polish culture. Historians examine manifestos of the Young Poland movement, publications that were circulating in Poland, and biographies of the artist to understand how the painting was received at the time. The meaning of art is always reliant on social and institutional contexts.