Chords of light and colour - the work of Wojciech Weiss and Aneri Irena Weissowa

The exhibition references earlier joint presentations of the works of the Weiss couple, the first of which took place as early as 1926 at the Society of Fine Arts in Lviv (“Aneri, Weiss, Wyczółkowski”).

Wojciech Weiss, in addition to his painting talent, exhibited a great musical sensitivity, often merging the worlds of color and sound in his perception of art. The works presented allow us to trace his artistic journey from academic drawings, through classical painting and his characteristic lightened color palette during the so-called “white period,” to works infused with Impressionism, Expressionism, and Symbolism. The artist explored a wide range of themes: landscapes, still lifes, portraits, genre scenes, nudes, and even historical scenes. It is not difficult to see analogies to the works of great masters or to Japanese art, yet this did not hinder the painter from developing his own recognizable style.

Irena Aneri Weiss’s work, often overshadowed by her husband in the artistic realm, is frequently underappreciated. This exhibition demonstrates that Aneri was not merely Wojciech’s imitator, although she often followed the same path; she was not a monothematic painter either, and many of her works astonish with their creative maturity and true beauty.

The series of exhibitions organized in collaboration with museums and galleries across the country, along with a publication by Ms. Renata Weiss, aims to achieve the intended goal of popularizing the art of Wojciech Weiss and Aneri, while also providing readers with a reliable compendium of knowledge about their lives and work.

The Work of Wojciech Weiss

Wojciech Weiss’s artistic career began in the 1890s, when the first symptoms of new directions began to appear in Polish painting. He received a solid education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, where he studied from 1892 to 1896. The portraits painted during this time, marked by the stamp of academicism, already show signs of the emerging new art. In Portrait of a Girl (1895), the glow of invisible sunlight appears, while the face of The Old Woman (1895) glows with a sharp, bright outline of pale green. In Portrait of a Woman in a Black Dress (1896), the fabric of the dress and the drapery of the background vibrate with multicolored reflections. The previously unseen fragmentation of the painting structure harmoniously complements the gentle modeling of the body. Over time, his canvases will fill with luminist effects, violet-golden rays of the setting sun, and the poetics of symbolism (Dance of the Faun with a Girl, 1899) and the internal tension of emerging Expressionism (Market Square at Night, 1898).

Leon Wyczółkowski, his master, had a significant influence on Weiss’s Young Poland creations, as did Stanisław Przybyszewski, a prominent figure of the Berlin bohemia, who possessed works by Munch, Goya, and Vigeland in his Kraków apartment.

Between 1899 and 1900, Weiss stayed in Paris. By the time he left, he was already a recognized artist, with works exhibited in the salons of Lviv, Vienna, and Warsaw. He participated in exhibitions of the Polish Artists’ Association “Sztuka,” and the Kraków art magazine “Życie” dedicated an entire issue to his work in 1900. His painting Portrait of Parents (1899) was presented at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. The Parisian street, filled with lights and colors, elegant outfits, top hats, and frock coats, fascinated the artist. Observing the bohemian life, he followed in the footsteps of Toulouse-Lautrec. He noted various types of regulars at café-concerts and variety theaters. His canvases filled with dancing figures, whirling to the rhythm of the cancan (Kankan. Moulin Rouge, 1900; Café d’Arcourt, 1900).

After returning from Paris, he went to Italy in 1901 to continue refining his talent at local academies. He visited Florence, captivated by the richness of its galleries and the unique atmosphere of the Tuscan landscape. His paintings featured solitary cypress trees rising toward the blue sky like campaniles. The stone courtyards of Renaissance palaces shimmered with golden light.

The next stage of his Italian journey took him to Rome, which fascinated modernists with its pagan past. With experiences from the Parisian belle époque behind him, Weiss admired the remnants of the sophisticated, decadent culture of the late empire. He painted the symbolic scene Pierrot and Columbina (1902) and created a series of charcoal drawings featuring the mysterious aura of Roman temple ruins.

His foreign travels culminated in a rich harvest of paintings and graphics that situate Weiss’s art within the orbit of European painting. Among these are works created in Poland, painted in Strzyżów in the Rzeszów region: Radiant Sunset (1900), Poppies (1902), Arbor (1903), where Young Poland painting finds its fullest expression.

In the following years, his art undergoes radical changes; the color palette brightens, and bleached landscape compositions emerge, giving rise to the name “white period,” which marks the distinctiveness of his painting style and themes from 1905 to 1912.

From 1915 to 1920, Weiss’s painting is dominated by admiration for the beauty of nature and the richness of its colors. Numerous Calvary landscapes are created, enriched with fine details (Ceres, 1916), sunlit orchards, and portraits of loved ones, integrated into the lush greenery of the garden (Family in the Garden, 1923). They exude a festive atmosphere of the dignity of nature, showcasing the richness of summer and serving as a hymn of praise to the surrounding world (Orchard in Kalwaria, 1917). The Calvary outdoor studio transforms into a happy Arcadia, where untroubled tranquility reigns, and where humanity harmoniously coexists with nature.

The mature phase of Weiss’s painting is abundant, alongside landscapes, in beautiful nudes, which initially draw upon classical templates (Venus, 1916; Three Graces, 1917; Venus and Cupid, 1917). Over time, they become more sensual, with models posing while seated in chairs within the painting studio (Nude, 1929). Mythological accents are replaced by elements of clothing or modest jewelry. The artist avoids idealizing the body in favor of a more painterly, impasto modeling, which enhances the sensuality of the posed model, whose facial features are highlighted by strong makeup.

During the interwar period, Weiss undertakes numerous artistic travels to Venice and the French Riviera. Through these travels, he encounters a different landscape. His paintings captivate with pearlescent tones of colors saturated with the humidity of the Venetian lagoon atmosphere and sharp chromatic contrasts accentuated by the bright southern sun of France (Landscape with Lantern, 1929).

Painting is not the only area of the artist’s creative activity. He produces beautiful pastels, numerous watercolors, and drawings that extend far beyond mere studio sketches. He is also interested in graphics and sculpture. Between 1915 and 1925, he created a series of busts and nudes, smoothly modeled in plaster, whose style references the works of Charles Despiau.

Curator of the exhibition: Anna Szlązak

The exhibition, which began in August 2007, has traveled across nearly the entire country. It has been displayed in several museums and galleries (Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes in Szczecin, BWA in Olsztyn, Zamoyski Museum in Kozłówka, State Gallery of Art in Sopot, Museum in Sosnowiec, Cultural Center Castle in Poznań, L. Wyczółkowski District Museum in Bydgoszcz).

Exhibition Tour:

– Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes in Szczecin – July – October 2007
– BWA in Olsztyn – January – February 2008
– Zamoyski Museum in Kozłówka – March – June 2008
– State Gallery of Art in Sopot – July – August 2008
– Museum in Sosnowiec – September – October 2008
– Cultural Center Castle in Poznań – November – December 2008
– L. Wyczółkowski District Museum in Bydgoszcz – January – February 2009
– Regional Museum in Stalowa Wola – April – May 2009
– Wałbrzyska Gallery of Art BWA “Castle Książ” – July – August 2009