Head of a Young Girl, circa 1920

Henryk Kuna's work presents a bust portrait of a young girl depicted in three-quarter view. The tight framing focuses attention on the head, neck, and upper shoulders, while the background, treated in light and nuanced tones of blue, remains deliberately devoid of descriptive elements. This simplification of the background helps isolate the figure and highlight its portrait.

The face is characterized by a stylized treatment of forms. The features are simplified, particularly at the eyes, reduced to fine horizontal lines, as well as the sketched eyebrows. The nose, particularly elongated and straight, structures the profile and constitutes one of the dominant elements of the composition. The mouth, discreetly drawn, is treated with simplicity, while the chin and jaw are defined by a continuous and supple line that emphasizes the synthetic construction of the face.

The hair, brown and voluminous, frames the head, forming a compact mass with simplified contours. The hair is treated as a unified volume rather than by the detailed representation of strands, thus contributing to the overall stylization effect. The neck, relatively long and slender, ensures the transition between the head and the clothing.
The figure wears a dark garment whose shape remains deliberately schematic. Only a pinkish-red collar breaks the uniformity of the dark tones and introduces a contrasting chromatic note within the composition. The absence of clothing details reinforces the focus on the structure of the face.

The chromatic palette is based mainly on ochre, beige, brown, and bluish tones. The flesh tones are constructed by subtle variations of warm colors that contrast with the cool shades of the background. The light is diffuse and homogeneous, without a precisely identifiable source. It delicately models the volumes of the face and softens contrasts, contributing to the visual unity of the whole.

The painter draws on the iconography of the masters of the Quattrocento for the representation of the figure. He also uses the technique of that era, that of tempera, which gives the work a striking depth and transparency.