Aniela Cukierówna
Aniela Cukierówna (1900-1944) is best known for her woodcuts but this pupil of great Polish artists like Skoczylas, Kotarbiński, and Jastrzębowski did not excel just in prints—she also created kilims and stained glass windows. Her big window Flowers of St. Francis was well received in Italy and in the United States.
The interwar press described her as “conscientious and diligent.” She had to be so, considering that she decided on such difficult artistic techniques as weaving, stained glass, and woodcutting.
The woodcut preserved in the collections of the Jewish Historical Institute (JHI) is one of her most interesting works and one of the very few that were saved. It shows the Daughters of Charity monastery on Tamka Street in Warsaw.
The monastery was founded by Queen Maria Ludwika Gonzaga (1611–1667). After its destruction during World War II it was rebuilt and can still be viewed from the top of the so-called Warsaw Scarp, the cliff above the Vistula river. This is probably also the spot from where Cukierówna drew the buildings while preparing her woodcut.
At first, the artwork appears to simply depict a picturesque place in Warsaw. But upon closer inspection the entire composition in its warm color range seems to become almost a patterned kilim. The influence of these colorful tapestry-woven textiles, produced by Cukierówna with great success, is clearly visible in the woodcut. Unfortunately, probably none of Cukierówna’s kilims have survived.
Aniela Cukierówna’s art can be seen on the Delet Portal.
- Jakub Bendkowski
P.S. Read about three unknown women artists, some of them Jewish, here!