Olga Boznańska

This exhibition was placed by the weekly magazine ‘Wprost’ on the first place of the national list of exhibition bestsellers in June 2003.

The exhibition in Stalowa Wola featured 30 paintings. The presentation of paintings was complemented by an exhibition showing the artist herself in surviving period photographs and self-portraits. Visitors could also watch two short biographical films devoted to Boznańska, one directed by Przemysław Młyńczyk, an independent filmmaker associated with the Young Cinema Foundation, and shot in 2000, with the participation of Teresa Budzisz-Krzyżanowska, who reads Boznańska’s texts. The author of the music is Michał Urbaniak. The second film is an educational television production from 1979. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue prepared by the exhibition curator, Anna Król.

It is difficult to classify O. Boznańska’s paintings as belonging to a particular direction or current. She always followed her own path, pursuing her own creative goals. When painting, she used a small range of colours, but at the same time was able to bring out a multitude of tones, shades and halftones.

and halftones. It is difficult to give a definite answer as to whether she belongs to the Impressionists. Her fascination with colour was unquestionably linked to Impressionism, but the hazy, subdued colours of her paintings have little in common with the colour frenzy of Monet or van Gogh.

Unlike the Impressionists, she also avoided working outdoors. The belief that colour can reflect character and mood is a shared view of art with some of the Nabists. Above all, however, she was a brilliant portraitist – with great expressive power she could portray not only faces, but souls.

Outstanding works in this genre include ‘Portrait of Miss Dygat’, ‘Portrait of the painter Paul Nauen’, ‘Girl with chrysanthemums’, ‘Portrait of a young woman in white’ or a whole series of self-portraits.She painted a lot of portraits of Polish and French aristocracy and intelligentsia (e.g. H.Sienkiewicz, G.Reval). She rarely used other types of painting, but when she did, the effect was excellent. She painted few landscapes, mostly cityscapes (‘Motif from Paris’), few still lifes (‘Still Life with Vase’), sometimes interiors (‘Interior of a Parisian Workshop’), while she willingly used flowers as the subject of her works (‘Golden Roses’, ‘Anemones’), and then her paintings do not show the sadness that often emanates from works with other themes.

In all genres, the artist’s painterly artistry is evident, especially in her use of colour and light and the introduction of an atmosphere of ephemeral ethereality. Boznańska does not try to evoke a violent effect with her paintings, she encourages the viewer to focus on a painting and to contemplate it unhurriedly – only then can all the beauty it contains be discovered.
Olga Boznańska is undoubtedly considered to be the best Polish painter, and she certainly ranks among the most eminent European artists.

List of paintings on display at the Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola:

1 Municipal Buildings I, 1885
2. Gypsy Woman, 1888
3 Breton woman – sketch for a painting, 1890
4 Portrait of a Woman in a White Dress, 1890
5 Portrait of the painter Paul Nauen, 1893
6. portrait of the painter Jozef Czajkowski, 1894
7. golden roses, 1896
8. portrait of Irena Zbigniewiczowa, 1896
9. interior study of the artist’s studio in Cracow
Portrait of Two Young Ladies, 1898
Portrait of Three Sisters, ca. 1900
Portrait of Bogdan Falensky, ca. 1900
13. motif from Paris, 1903
14. flowers on a terrace, 1903
15. portrait of Adam Nowina-Boznański, the artist’s father, circa 1903
16. portrait of Wojciech Gielecki, 1905
17. portrait of a man, ca. 1905
18 Pisa Cathedral, ca. 1905
19. interior of a studio, 1906
20 Portrait of Mrs Horainowa, 1907
21 Portrait of Feliks Jasieński, 1907
Interior of a Parisian studio, 1908
23 Self-portrait, ca. 1908
24 Portrait of Jadwiga of Sanguszko Sapieżna, 1910
25 Portrait of Henryk Sienkiewicz, 1913
26th Portrait of a Woman, 1914-1916
27. double portrait, after 1920
28 Portrait of a Lady with Glasses, 1922
29. portrait of a female painter, Francis Thomasson, ca. 1925
30. kiki, the artist’s dog, ca. 1930