Autumn landscape

Apoloniusz Kędzierski worked from the 1880s to 1939, representing a traditionalist stance. He was a pupil of J. Brandt, W. Gerson and the Academy of Munich. His contemporaries valued most of his works from the so-called folklore current, which resulted from the artists' fascination with folk culture and the countryside landscape. This trend emerged in Polish art around the middle of the 19th century and flourished during the Young Poland period. Kędzierski gained recognition with his paintings: Wiejski astronom [Rural Astronomer] and Przesiewanie [Sifting]. Atmospheric, maintained in the realist convention, these works are devoid of the direct influence of teachers and reveal the outlines of the painter's style, characteristic of his mature work.

Simultaneously with them, formally different landscapes were created. An example of this tendency in the artist's work is the painting Struga [Stream]. It depicts an enchanting view of an autumn forest with a stream flowing in the middle. Painting the warmly coloured shimmering trees, illuminated by the sun rays, the artist set himself a difficult task. The fragment of nature was a pretext for tackling the perception of the surrounding reality and the possibility of translating eyewitness observation into the language of painting. The painting was inspired by the Impressionists, which was perceived as bringing a fresh, direct vision. Kędzierski took up and applied their technical solutions. The first of these was a composition based on surprising framing. It gave the viewer the illusion of entering into the depths of the painting's space. The second element was the vivid colours with a dominance of pure tones. Finally, a fundamental trick, commonly associated as the most characteristic feature of the Impressionist technique, is how the paint is applied using small brush strokes, the spots juxtaposed next to each other. By skilfully combining these elements, the painter has created a painting saturated with inner energy and expression. It attracts the viewer's eye and reminds them of the eternal beauty and power of nature.

Bożena Kasperowicz