Works by Aniela Pawlikowska née Wolska and Jan Ekiert.
Examples of contemporary religious art in the exhibition include works by Aniela Pawlikowska, née Wolska, and Jan Ekiert. In her religious themes, Aniela Pawlikowska often drew on motifs drawn from folk art, combining traditional content with modern form. This was also the case with the “Bogurodzica” portfolio, published in 60 copies by the Medical Library in the first half of the 1930s. The portfolio consists of ten hand-colored watercolor linocuts, the themes of which refer to Marian feasts. The exhibition features “Królowa Korony Polskiej” (Queen of the Polish Crown), a work referring to the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland, celebrated by the Catholic Church on May 3rd. The cult of the Virgin Mary as the protector of Poland and Poles has existed for a long time and has had particular significance in moments of crises, wars, and disasters that have befallen the country. Officially, the feast of the Queen of the Polish Crown was established in 1924, combining it with the celebration of the Constitution of May 3rd. In her depiction of the Queen of the Polish Crown, Aniela Pawlikowska utilized a number of motifs and symbols referencing the nation’s history and culture. Mary, depicted frontally, in half-length, holding the Child in her left arm, is a representation reminiscent of the Hodegetria type, the most famous and venerated of which in Poland is the icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa. The attributes of royal power held in the hands of the Virgin Mary and Jesus—a scepter in the form of a hetman’s mace and an orb, as well as the open crowns on their heads—reminiscent of the Piast regalia. Two white eagles flank Mary’s crown. The white maphorion that encircles the Virgin Mary’s face recalls a medieval garter. The Queen of the Polish Crown is dressed in a crimson gown and an ochre and gold cape decorated with oak leaves and fruit—symbols of strength. The Slavic-looking Infant Jesus is dressed in a robe decorated with a honeycomb pattern, and his cloak is adorned with bees and flowers – motifs signifying diligence rewarded with happiness and wealth. The linocut style combines the synthetic decorativeness of Art Deco, the linearity of folk painting on glass, and the traditional depiction of the Virgin Mary. Jan Ekiert’s “Christmas” and “Crucifixion,” rendered in oil, present a completely different approach to religious themes. Ekiert’s religiosity is intimate, reflective, personal, and devoid of symbolism. His works, with their distinctive expression, are far from realism, and embody the artist’s experience with Cubism and Futurism, which he encountered while living in Paris from 1945. “Christmas” is a small work painted by the artist in 1953. The interior of a brick, thatched stable is constructed from splashes of color and a composition of dark lines. A starry sky is visible through an opening in the roof, and a blue streak of light illuminates the figure of Mary, cradling the newborn Child to her breast. Mary sits on the earthen floor, and her broad blue cloak, like a tent, covers her head and shoulders, falling to the ground. Behind the Mother, in shadow, we see animals standing by a manger. They are the only witnesses to this intimate scene. Next to it is the painting “Crucifixion.” From among the expressive lines and splashes of purple and red, the emerald figure of Christ stretched out on the cross emerges. The forms beneath the cross form the shapes of figures. The work’s color palette and the density of lines pointing in various directions heighten the scene’s dramatic impact.