Christmas

The painting is a youthful, early example of the work of Jan Wydra, born in 1902. When the work was created, the painter was studying at the Warsaw School of Fine Arts in Tadeusz Pruszkowski's studio. The work follows the patterns proposed there, determining the nature of artistic choices which also shaped Wydra's later work in the traditionalist trend.

While joining what was considered the best painting studio at the Warsaw school, the artist simultaneously became a member of a less formal group established by Pruszkowski's students the Brotherhood of St. Luke. In accordance with the Brotherhood's initiation formula, it formed a close group bond, consisting of joint work, searching for sources of old art, and spending time together during open-air workshops organised by the professor in the picturesque town of Kazimierz. The freedom of artistic search, thorough knowledge of the painting technique, as well as plein-air stays shaped the generational identity. The artists patiently developed traditional themes and iconographic patterns, bringing out with precision the characters and scenographic elements of the representation, placing the scenes in topical and familiar landscape frames.

Boże Narodzenie [Christmas] is a clear exemplification of these postulates, conditioned by the pan-European turn in art of the 1920s, referred to as a return to order, rappel à l'ordre, pittura metafisica. In the scene, illuminated by supernatural light, Wydra placed Christmas figures with Mary in a red dress, carefully bending over Christ, and Joseph turned away in the distance. The austere rural setting of a stable with animals is complemented by the modest furnishings of a sparse, makeshift building. However, all the details in the scene are amazing, treated with care and brought out with the intense precision of Flemish designs. From Mary's elaborate robes and Joseph's pilgrim clothing to the striking reflections of light and the meticulous characterisation of the landscape, everything is brought out with delicate, light brushstrokes, creating a soft coating of plants and hills. The ordinariness of the scene becomes an element of the metaphysical experience of matter, light and painterly representation.