Girl in hat

Between 1918 and 1922, Tadeusz Makowski made a trip to Auvergne, which brought a strong interest in folk art. From then on, children appeared among the main subjects chosen by Makowski. They also provided the artist with the inspiration to formulate his creative stance. He wanted to paint simplified forms like a child who had not yet been punished for bad drawing. He was looking for naivety and the sincerity that comes with it. Thus, Makowski combined cubism, folk and children's art, and at the same time, referred to old Dutch painting. His last period of activity was between 1928 and 1932 when he mostly painted carnival and theatre scenes. He created, among others, a series of works belonging to the gallery of representatives of various professions. From the beginning of this period comes the painting, which is one of many depictions of girls in hats. Like many works from this period, it is maintained in warm tones. The simplified image shows the artist's ability to make the depicted figures unreal, as they become characters of universal stories, theatrical scenes. The artist repeated elements of his paintings. In the same year, he also painted another portrait of a girl wearing a headgear - Akt dziewczynki w niebieskiej czapce [Act of a Girl in a Blue Cap] (1928), while Dziewczynka z rumianym policzkiem [The Girl with a Flushed Cheek] (1925) shows a figure wearing almost the same blouse, although the canvas is painted in a slightly different convention.

Beata Małgorzata Wolska