Henryk Siemiradzki (1843-1902), before becoming a painter, gained a degree in the natural sciences during the period of the greatest intensity of positivist tendencies. Probably for this reason, the academic formula doctus pictor (learned painter), in his case took an extreme form, leading to easily recognizable inconsistencies in the representations of reality he produced. Siemiradzki's allegorical paintings are particularly good examples of the signs "in constant flux" (Tarasti 2000:7). The scientific need to rationalize and disambiguate the image confronted with traditional visual codes, such as allegory produced paradoxical effects, bringing rationalized allegory close to a rebus. On the other hand, the modern technique of photography used by Siemiradzki as a workshop aid led to the visual disambiguation of allegorical figures. The photos helped materialize his vision, but at the same time they took part in a process that made specific use of their relationship with reality - the relationship of index. By generating an extremely convincing view of a non-existent reality, this type of images retroactively "denaturalized" reality itself, arousing suspicion that the world we live in is constructed in a similar way. It is interesting to note that the most famous Siemiradzki’s allegories are painted on the theatre curtains (Teatr Słowackiego, Kraków, 1894; Teatr Miejski, Lwów, 1900).