Pastel, paper; 69 x 49 cm in light frame;
Signed, dated and inscribed l. d.: Cordial wishes in [?] / LWyczół / 911.
Provenance:
private collection, Poland
This pastel bouquet of anemones from 1911 belongs to the recognizable and appreciated still life trend in Leon Wyczółkowski's work. The artist uses a wide range of colors - from intense reds and blues to subtle pinks and whites. The pastel is conducted in broad, decisive patches, with a clear use of the ground color.
The work is an interesting example of the artist's flagship work, with an intimate, personal dedication. Pastels of this type often remained in private hands and rarely entered public circulation. The dating of the work is connected in the biography of Leon Wyczółkowski with a special moment - the artist is finishing his many years of teaching activity at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow at that time, after serving as rector. It is also a time of intensive work in pastel technique and development of synthetic, decorative painting language, visible, for example, in realizations such as "Self-portrait in a Chinese kaftan", created in the same year. The artist's works also show a fascination with the art of the Far East.
