During vespers

Mieczyslaw Reyzner studied painting at the academies of Vienna and Munich. Since the end of the 1880s, he worked in Paris, where he opened an elegant studio near the Luxembourg Garden. Critics emphasised the variety of subjects undertaken by the artist and his freedom in using various stylistic conventions. He gained recognition in France as a talented landscape and portrait painter. Three symbolic compositions were also appreciated: Poranek [Morning], Południe [Noon], Noc [Night], first exhibited at a public exhibition in 1889 and popularised by publishers. In 1897 the painter moved permanently to Lviv. He executed portraits on the order of the local clientele. The most popular idealised images showed whole models in graceful poses or their beautiful heads. The effect of the journeys he made around the country were also landscapes showing the views of the Hutsul Region, Podolia and Podhale. Moreover, Reyzner was fond of painting flowers. Apart from oil works, he left numerous pastels.

Interesting in the painter's works are portraits and studies of older women, highly valued by his contemporaries, maintained in the realistic convention. He created a series of such representations in 1892 and constantly returned to the subject throughout his career. These include Na nieszporach [At Vespers], Trzy babki [Three Old Woman], Modlące się kobiety [Praying Women]. The elegiac compositions, depicting praying older women in the privacy of temple interiors, contain the artist's reflection on human fate. The painting has a great power of expression. The well-thought-out composition, excellent characterisation of the figures, and the ability to build a mood through using limited but subtle colours create an impression of muted monumentality. The artist masterfully depicts the vision of the end of life, which is a quiet and serene abiding in prayer.

The most extensive collection of the painter's paintings can be found in museums in Lviv, single examples in Polish museums, among others in the National Museums in Wrocław and Kraków.

Bożena Kasperowicz