Makovsky had a rare talent for penetrating a person’s inner world; even the most subtle spiritual movements, nuances of relationships, and individual reactions of people to his surroundings did not escape him. The ability to express all this through artistic means is one of the strengths of his art.
Such a subtle depiction of a person’s character, his state of mind became possible due to the constant keen observation of the artist. He never parted with the album and pencil, everywhere finding a lot of bright and unique. And everywhere his pencil aptly seized the observed, acutely noticing the manifestation of the characteristic, typical both in people and in their behavior. The subtle lyricism of the pictorial performance is filled with the genre picture “Before the explanation”.
The landscape itself – the crowded heroes ate, the moss-covered boulders – underlines the tense moment in the relationship of two young people. Painting acquires here a great emotional sound and immediacy of feelings. With the penetratingness inherent only in Makovsky, the agonizing state of lovers at a difficult time of explanation was conveyed. The bent faces and gestures of the heroes are expressive: the young student goes through the cane in her hands, waiting for an answer, and the girl, tearing off the petals of chamomile, hopes for his understanding and love.