This panoramic piece captures an austere urban scene with an abandoned, melancholic feel. A classical statue stands as the central figure, juxtaposing its timeless beauty against the monotonous backdrop of modern apartment blocks. The muted tones and careful composition evoke a profound sense of urban isolation, portraying what was once a lively backyard as something ancient and distant. The scene is both a lamentation for and a reflection on the loss of cultural heritage and human warmth in contemporary urban spaces.

Podgórski critiques modern life by highlighting a painful truth: the backyard, once a space where children played, built community, and developed vital social skills, has become an “antique” relic of the past. Today’s children, he suggests, are more likely to be indoors, glued to computer or phone screens, rather than engaging with each other in the shared joy of outdoor play. The placement of the statue—a symbol of antiquity—ironically underscores this loss, serving as both a remembrance of what once was and a subtle critique of how society has shifted.

The panoramic form of the painting is deliberate, mimicking the horizontal format of a television or computer screen. This design choice reinforces the idea that life and interaction have moved indoors, confined to digital realms, leaving the physical world empty and disconnected. The painting serves as a poignant reflection on how the shift from community-based, outdoor living to isolated, screen-driven existence has fundamentally altered the fabric of human connection.

Malwina Łuczyńska