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Boy with a Bird
The painting ‘Boy with a Bird’ depicts one of the icons of Tadeusz Makowski’s child painting, painted in oil on canvas measuring 38 by 46 cm, signed at the bottom right ‘Tade Makowski’. In the early 1920s, the artist changed the perception of child models – the portraits gained an expression of joy and curiosity, and the facial features were simplified, giving them distinctiveness and childishness. The figures took the form of marionettes, a result of fascination with puppet theater and marionette theater – reflected in the presented boy with a bird, resembling a doll with an expressive gaze. The painting features a subtle, lyrical expression and is an example of the artist’s mature style.
Portrait of the Creator
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Artist
Tadeusz Makowski
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Date of birth and death
29 January 1882 – 1 November 1932
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Natinality
Polish
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Style
Cubism influenced by Polish folk art and naïve art
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Significant works
Paintings of children, carnivals, fairs, stylized landscapes, woodcut book illustrations
Information about the work
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Execution technique:
oil, canvas
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Location:
private collection, Łódź; private collection, Poland; Polswiss Art auction 19.05.2002; Desa Unicum auction 17.12.2020
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Theme:
child portrait, puppet theater, lyrical realism, marionette figures
Internal Narrative and Creative Framework
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Inner Narrative
The child figure as a marionette, the expressive gaze of the eyes, reference to puppet theater and the dramaturgy of childlike innocence full of harmony and melancholy.
The key to interpreting the work
The analysis of the painting should consider inspirations from theater, dolls, simplification of form, and the expressive gaze of child figures in the context of Makowski’s stylistics.
Auction information
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Estimated price:
400 000 - 500 000 zł
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Auction price:
340 000 zł
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