In the Orangery

We continue our month with the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw. Time for a woman artist! Enjoy.  : )

The painting is a unique work of Olga Boznańska due to its great size, unheard of in her work. It was painted at a time when, after several years of studying in Munich, she became independent as an artist, showing her own works at domestic and foreign exhibitions.

The work from the NMW collection shows a girl in a blue dress and straw hat, located in an orangery full of exotic, flowering plants. The model has just collected wilted petals and leaves in the basket, ordering and decorating the room. The young woman stands upright, her expression is indifferent, she looks at the viewer with absent eyes. Occupying a tight space between plants, she seems to belong to the closed reality of a greenhouse, which isolates her from the outside world and provides security. It is from the juxtaposition of the girl's figure and the flowers that surround her that the sense of the image seems to concern the physical aspects of existence, sensual beauty, youth, and growth. The convergent functions of the model and the plants are emphasized by the harmonious colors of the canvas, in which blue, green, gray, and shades of pink blend. Henryk Piątkowski wrote about the consistency of colors and light in this painting: "The lack of sharp shadows and sharp lights evokes a harmony of pale, not screaming tones, perfectly captured by nature, creating the atmosphere appropriate for the place painted by the artist."

Have a great Sunday!

P.S. Here you will find four other women Impressionists you shouldn’t forget!