The War and Us
| The War and Us | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Edward Okuń |
| Year | 1917-1923 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Movement | secession |
| Dimensions | 88 cm × 111 cm (35 in × 44 in) |
| Owner | National Museum, Warsaw |
The War and Us (original title "My i Wojna") - an oil painting painted by Edward Okun between 1917 and 1923.
Historical background
In addition to painting, Edward Okuń (1872–1945) also illustrated. Because of his aristocratic background and stable financial standing, he was able to devote himself entirely to art. He started taking painting classes as a teenager. He first studied at Wojciech Gerson's Warsaw drawing class before moving to Krakow to join the School of Fine Arts, where he was taught by Izydor Jaboski and Jan Matejko. He pursued his study further in Munich, Paris, and Hungary, where he attended the Simon Hollósa School. The painter spent more than 20 years in Italy starting in 1898. He started working on the picture "We and the War" in 1917. (88 x 111 cm). The painting, which dates back to 1920, still unfinished at the time, saw the light of day at an exhibition at Zachęta. It functioned there under the title "War and Art". Okuń completed the work in 1923.
Description
Edward Oku painted his last self-portrait with his wife in the middle of the composition. The artist is wearing a long, black coat over which his wife Zofia is also strolling. The woman gives him an elegant glance, but the man is preoccupied with the white flower bouquet in his hands. Their upper petals are dyed a scarlet colour, which resembles blood. An old, toothless, gray witch who is slumped over and walks close by notices the flowers. The woman surrounds the couple with her entire body and tries to slip beneath the coat. Her bare feet stand in stark contrast to the refined style of the gleaming, polished shoes. The witch is most likely the personification of famine or war and does not leave the steam even for a step.
The sense of horror vacui (Latin: fear of emptiness) is intensified by the flat, ornamental background that occupies the entire surface of the painting. The dynamic composition is composed of Art Nouveau, winding lines. The background is purely decorative, with turquoise and sapphire, intertwined snakes with bared fangs biting each other. Fantastic reptiles in the painting received the wings of a moth, associated with death. Okuń used here a procedure used in symbolist painting, which consists in deforming the proportions between a man and other elements of the composition. The silhouettes of animals have been exaggerated by him, which emphasizes their expressiveness and intensifies the impression of horror.
Exhibitions
Młoda Polska, 2018-10-01 – 2018-12-31, Goteborg konstmuseum, Goteborg, Sweden.
Na zmianę I, 2022-09-26 – 2022-09-16.
From Symbolism To Modern Art (1880 – 1939), 2007-09-24 – 2008-03-20, National Gallery of Ireland.
Śladem prerafaelitów. Artyści polscy i sztuka brytyjska, 2006-08-21 – 2006-11-25, Muzeum Pałac w Wilanowie.
Sztuka Polska: Niezłomny duch., 2015-06-07 – 2015-08-20, Seul, South Korea.
Spragnieni piękna, 2017-01-18-2017-03-12, National Museum, Warsaw.
Skarby z kraju Chopina, 2015-02-10-2015-05-10, Beijing national museum, china.
Impressionism and Symbolism. Polish Painting around 1900, 2009-04-16-2009-06-07, National gallery, Puharjeva 9, 1001 Lublana, Słowenia.
Malarstwo polskie około 1900, 2011-06-23 – 2011-09-18, Bratysława.
Bibliography
- M. Biernacka, Literatura – symbol – natura. Twórczość Edwarda Okunia wobec Młodej Polski i symbolizmu europejskiego, Instytut Sztuki PAN, Warszawa 2004.
- M. Wallis, 1974: Secesja. Wydanie II. Wydawnictwo Arkady, Warszawa.
External Links
- [1] Edward Okuń, "My i wojna"
- [2], Obraz: Edward Okuń my i wojna.
- [3], My i wojna - Edward Okuń - MALARSTWO - Pikoteka Okuń.
- [4] MNW
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