![s-mal-269-ml-001.jpg](/brepo/panel_repo/2022/04/15/abnvnt/contain-360-1000-max-s-mal-269-ml-001.jpg)
Ascension / Saints John, Joseph and Longinus
1801 — 1900
National Museum in Lublin
Part of the collection: Religious scenes, stained glass and polychrome designs (19th–20th c.)
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.
Author / creator
Dimensions
cały obiekt: height: 157 cm, width: 195 cm
Object type
painting
Technique
oil technique
Material
oil-based paint, canvas
Creation time / dating
Creation / finding place
Owner
The National Museum in Lublin
Identification number
Location / status
1801 — 1900
National Museum in Lublin
3rd quarter of the 19th century
National Museum in Lublin
1869
National Museum in Lublin
DISCOVER this TOPIC
National Museum in Lublin
DISCOVER this PATH
Educational path