The word summer brings to mind warmth, sunshine and sensual scents. But it is also a promise of something elusive, dreamlike and perfect. Like a distant echo of lost paradise. We are firmly attached to the memories of carefree, happy moments and don't want to let what summer symbolizes come to an end.

But it is impossible to stop time, so we escape into dreams and fall into melancholy. Memories draw us to places where we have experienced something moving and profound. Driven by an unspoken longing, we all look for places that would be ours. Often it is the sea, lake or mountains that provide us with the right scenery to bring our own dreams to life.

The mood of melancholy has become a recognizable feature of Jarek Puczel's work. He seems to have accepted and learned to love this subtle, imperfect "bittersweet taste" and made it the essence of his artistic practice. The characters in Puczel's paintings are immersed in their dreams and often entangled in romantic relationships. However, there is no drama, the emotionality is toned down and expresses an attempt to regain inner balance. We can feel the character's deep bond with nature, which is shown in the overexposed pastel colors of full summer.