In the article I deal with the interpretation of Jarosław Modzelewski's painting “What? A plane. With what? With lost welder”. I analyze it taking into account the research of W.J.T. Mitchell on the condition of contemporary paintings and their recipients, I also refer to the findings of anthropological research on the sacred. Another element of the study of the work is the observation of one's own reactions based on the assumptions of neuroesthetics and other fields dealing with the role of emotions in the reception of art.