Playing in a park 1933

Zygmunt Waliszewski made this artwork called 'Playing in a Park' with washes of diluted blue and grey ink. The figures are loosely drawn, like Waliszewski was trying to capture the feeling of a warm day, the general mood, rather than the specifics. It's like looking through someone's eyes, squinting in the sun. See how the tree is just scribbled in? The people have a similar feel. They have hats and hold drinks. It feels like we are in the middle of the party. Waliszewski has a light touch here, and you can almost imagine him outside in the park himself, trying to record the movements and figures quickly, before they changed. It reminds me a bit of Watteau, in the way that the people are elegant, but also slightly melancholy, as if the pleasure of the day can't quite fill some deeper longing. It's what painting is all about!