In the painting, Ariadne from “Ariadne auf Kopalino” appears not on the mythic Greek island but by the Polish seaside,  within a coastal forest. She lay down among tall pine trees whose trunks stretch upward, with the sound of waves faintly reaching through the woods. The sandy ground is sprinkled with needles and moss, and through the trees you can glimpse of the Baltic Sea.

Ariadne, draped in flowing, classical garments, looks both displaced and timeless. Her tragic figure contrasting with the landscape. This strange fusion of opera, mythology, and Polish nature creates an atmosphere that is dreamlike, melancholic, and slightly otherworldly.