A symbolic painting by the Krakow painter - Józefa Maria Józefowicz, depicting a lyre player and a girl. The figure of the lyre player was a frequent and very important motif in Polish culture in the 19th century. It was presented by, among others, artists such as: Michał E. Andriolli, Hipolit Lipiński, Teodor Axentowicz and Jacek Malczewski, and the Ukrainian lyre player Wernyhora was featured in the works of, among others: Juliusz Słowacki and Stanisław Wyspiański. The wandering old man playing the hurdy-gurdy became a symbolic figure. On the one hand, he remembered and understood the past he talked about, but on the other hand, he was a visionary, he had the gift of looking into the future, which could make him an almost spiritual leader on the road to regaining independence.
The old man in the painting is shown in a winter scenery, walking, facing to the left, walking along a snowy path, followed by a girl. The hunched lyre player is dressed in a thick cloak and has a lyre slung over his shoulder. The man has gray hair, a long beard, and a focused and slightly melancholic look, focused on a distant point. In the background you can see trees and a snow-covered Hutsul hut. The painting, painted on a grand scale, is a good example of the artist's solid academic skills. What is noteworthy is the faithful reflection of the old man's anatomy and facial features, taking into account individual psychological features. Vibrant colors and a large dose of symbolism are other characteristics of this work.
This painting clearly refers to the work of Teodor Axentowicz.
The motif of a gray-bearded village old man - lyre player was introduced by Axentowicz already in 1894 in the Racławice Panorama painted in Berlin under the direction of Wojciech Kossak. Then he repeatedly depicted old men with a lyre or a candle (in the genre paintings and pastels "Na Gromniczna", ca. 1900), shown alone or in the company of a young peasant girl. Such compositions, with a symbolic meaning entitled "Youth and Old Age", "The Old Man and the Girl", "The Vision of Memory" - were repeated by the painter many times in the pastel technique from 1900 to the last years of his life.
Oil on plywood. The painting is framed in a beautiful antique frame from the era, with ornamental decorations. Dimensions inside the frame: 36x45 cm. Dimensions including frame: 49x59 cm. Signed ld J. Józefowicz. Condition of the painting: very good. Frame condition: good - minor damages visible in the photos. On the reverse there is an inscription in pen: "Lirnik 37x47" and "J. Józefowicz".
Józefa Maria Józefowicz is a painter listed on the antique and auction market, although her works appear relatively rarely. Paintings usually cost several thousand zlotys. Due to similar themes, academic preparation and good workshop, her paintings (especially the unsigned ones) are sometimes wrongly attributed to Teodor Axentowicz. It should be mentioned that this is one of JM Józefowicz's better works.
Biography:
Józefa Maria Józefowicz (1900 - ?) Polish painter. In 1933, she graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków and in the same year she began further education in Warsaw. She created oil works, watercolors and pastels based on the paintings of Teodor Axentowicz - in her work we encounter similar motifs and topics and a similar painting manner.
