Henryk Siemiradzki (1843–1902)
Landscape with Figures, 1884
Purchased in 1983
imnk
miniaturka

material: oil on board

dimensions: 23 × 38 cm

description: In his works Siemiradzki employed, for example, ancient motifs of genre character, set in sunny Italian scenery. Landscape areas of these compositions were painted based on plein-air studies. They were characterized by technical brilliance and a modern, for those days, far from academicism, matter-of-fact approach to nature, connected with an interest in the problem of sunlight. Landscape with Staffage depicts an Italian landscape from the artist’s time. A grove by the river, visible in the foreground, is enveloped in shadow. A stone bridge, featured in the middle of the composition, and a town, which stretches on a hill in the distance, are flooded with dazzling sunshine. A couple, taking a rest in the shade, serve only as a colourful, picturesque element, while it is the realistically rendered landscape that plays the main role in this picture. The contrasts of light and shadow as well as a light palette create a cheerful atmosphere of a summer day. Aleksandra Krypczyk

exposition: The Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art in Sukiennice,
The Cloth Hall, 1, Main Market Square


key: Realism, polish impressionism, beginnings of symbolism >>>

© 2010 National Museum in Krakow
design & concept: creator.pl
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