Stanisław Witkiewicz
As you may know, we are based in Poland and we love to present Polish art from time to time. ;) We present today's paintings thanks to the National Museum in Krakow. Enjoy! :)
In accordance with the principles of realism, the aim of Stanisław Witkiewicz’s landscapes was to show mountains in an objective, accurate, and unpretentious way. The artist wanted nature to be fully autonomous in his works. This approach is exemplified by a winter landscape of the Czarny Staw Lake in the Tatra Mountains during a blizzard called kurniawa in the Polish local dialect. The choice of such a view was probably inspired by Japanese art. Rocky slopes of the mountains contrast with the rough surface of the water. The illusion of a dynamic movement is enhanced by a snowy dance veiling the background peaks in a milky cloud. Almost irrational moonlight creates strong contrasts of light and shade. A very narrow palette has been restricted to warm browns, black, grey, and white. The artist made use of photographs in painting this work, which resulted in hard, hyperrealistic modelling; the painterly description of this atmospheric phenomenon, however, was probably produced based on meticulous plein-air studies. The uncontrollable element of the blizzard raging in the Tatras creates—perhaps even against the intention of the artist—an unsettling and at the same time fascinating romantic atmosphere.
P.S. Another beautiful painting from the National Museum in Krakow is Władysław Ślewiński's Woman Combing her Hair.