Leon Wyczółkowski, LOOKED AT, 1885

45,1 x 36,9cm - oil, cardboard signed l.g.: L.Wyczółkowski | 1885.

On the back l.g. number (in pencil): 4769, l.d. faintly visible (in pencil): Leon Wyczolkowsky | 1852 Warschau



Gazed at is an excellent example of Wyczolkowsky's transformation after a trip to Paris in 1878. The trip to the Universal Exhibition was made possible by an inheritance from his grandparents the Falickis. The young artist, studying in Matejko's studio at the time, wanted above all to see an exhibition of the French Impressionists - Renoir and Manet. Contact with the canvases of the former had a colossal impact on his later creative path.



Roman Konik in Hunter of Light describes Wyczół's journey with Antoni Piotrowski and cites their observations after their first contact with the French Impressionists:

- Antek, it's something completely different from what we were taught in Munich or at Gerson. Look at this fever of colors, they like with a butterfly net fly in a meadow and catch the sun in it, from this painting until it beats some kind of inner glow. (...)

- That's right, these are masters. See how with one brushstroke they grab the impression, hot, here there are no corrections, this licking of the painting, like in Munich. They paint hot, in the open air, as they see.

- What keeps us from that? Antek, such painting with decisive strokes of the brush soaked directly in bright colors changes everything. Do you see it?



The love of Impressionism instilled in Paris slowly began to break through the Munich and academic influences in Wyczółkowski's painting. In 1880, Wyczółkowski returned to Warsaw and almost immediately found clients who wanted him to paint their portraits. However, he treated this work purely as a job, since the pace at which the clients demanded results did not allow him to develop artistically. Stanislaw Witkiewicz strongly criticized him for this, stressing the need for personal development. In time, Wyczół agreed with Witkiewicz's remarks, which influenced his departure from academism. Following the example of Renoir, with his "lodges," women's studies and other social scenes, he himself in 1881-1885 focused on creating salon-building scenes of the life of the Warsaw bourgeoisie. It was in these that he developed his incredible talent as a colorist and made his first compositional breakthroughs.



This is what Maria Twardowska, who compiled Leon Wyczółkowski's letters and memoirs, wrote: In salon scenes he exercised himself in increasingly bold harmonization of colors and decisive brushstrokes. With his abbreviated style he makes an allusion to the progress he made in this direction, recalling the proclamation of A. Gierymski looking at the Picture, which many (1883). In Witkiewicz's book on A. Gierymski there is a supplement to this scene by stating that the Picture is presented "in splendid patches of local colors, harmonized with a capital sense of tone." In the Picture, a young couple gazes with sudden reverie at a work set in the artist's studio. On a couple of occasions Wyczółkowski emphasized that the young couple is contemplating his Alina. Perhaps in this way he wanted to signal his decision to return to "great art"? (Leon Wyczółkowski, Letters and Memoirs, ed. M. Twarowska, Wroclaw 1960, p. 45)



Gazed at belongs to a whole group of works, like the above-mentioned - groundbreaking Picture of which many, In the Lodge (presented at the Agra-Art auction in March 2000), Conversation or Ujrzałem raz..., painted with great talent as a colorist, with sensitivity to light and characterized by a high degree of artistry.

With its style and way of portraying the portrayed ladies, it is connected with a well-known work by the artist, also created in 1885, now in the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw, entitled In the Boudoir. Gazed at and Bust of Helena Modrzejewska, 1885, although they are preparatory studies for the painting In the Boudoir, are captivating in equal measure. In each of these paintings, the artist impresses with strong colors and sharp contrasts. According to Renata Higersberger of the National Museum of Art, the marble bust of Helena Modrzejewska against a curtain was created during the actress' visit to perform in Warsaw. Portraying the sculpture chiseled by Teodor Rygier was a kind of tribute by Wyczółkowski to the great artist.



Gazed at clearly shows the influence that Renoir's painting had on Wyczółkowski. The painting is painted with fine brushstrokes, conducted with freedom. The work depicts two ladies in long gowns, facing the viewer with their backs and in profile. Both are deeply absorbed and gazing at an object outside the depicted scene. Closing the composition in a narrow frame adds to its intimacy. The boudoir scene is just a pretext for the artist to study colors and their reaction to the intense light coming from the viewer. Wyczółkowski boldly juxtaposes two female figures. The foreground one, with blonde hair, dressed in a white gown and additionally bathed in strong light, is in stark contrast to the slightly receding brunette in a dark outfit. We can only see her face thanks to the bright, light-catching material in the background, which brings out the profile - familiar to us from other paintings - of Miss Mandecka.

Although the background has been cast quickly and casually by the artist, it provides full legibility to this composition. The clothes have also been treated with some impression, and yet we can easily read the floral pattern on the bodice of the white gown. We can observe both the gown and the model in the painting Conversation from 1883; unfortunately, her seating does not allow for clear identification of the woman.

For most of the paintings created at the time, Wyczółkowski was posed by his closest relatives: his cousin Wacław Wyczółkowski, his cousin Stefania Mandecka, the painter Ludwik Stasiak and his neighbor - the well-known actress of the Warsaw Government Theaters - Maria Wisnowska.

We can certainly identify the cousin as a lady hiding in the shadows. It is enough to compare her with the pianist from the painting I saw once. More problematic is the identification of the woman in the flowery dress. We can assume that this is the painter's neighbor - Maria Wisnowska, who - being an actress - had many theatrical costumes. She also willingly posed for the painter's paintings in exquisite period costumes. Maria Wisnowska was an intriguing woman whose dramatic death at the hands of her lover shocked all of Warsaw and even became the subject of Ivan Bunin's novel The Case of Kornet Yelagin.



Gazed delights with color, lightness, freedom and bravura technique. They are characterized by subtle and sophisticated colors, confirming Wyczółkowski's extraordinary talent as a color painter. The appearance of this work at auction is an exceptional treat for collectors.

Leon Wyczółkowski (Huta Miastkowska near Siedlce 1852 - Warsaw 1936) - painter, graphic artist and educator, was one of the most outstanding Polish artists creating at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. He began his artistic studies at the Warsaw Drawing Class under Wojciech Gerson and Aleksander Kaminski (1869-1873), then continued them at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts under Aleksander Wagner (1875-1877), in Cracow under Jan Matejko (1877/78) and during two trips to Paris (1878 and 1889). After his studies, he settled in Lviv and later moved to Warsaw. He spent the years 1883-1893 traveling in Ukraine and Podolia. In 1895 he moved to Cracow appointed as a lecturer at the School of Fine Arts there. In the following years he traveled extensively - to Italy, France, Spain, Holland, England. He was one of the founding members of the Society of Polish Artists "Art". He exhibited a lot both at home and abroad. He spent the years 1929-1936 in Poznań and Gościeradz, commuting to Warsaw, where (from 1934) he held the chair of graphics at the Academy of Fine Arts. He painted landscapes, portraits, genre scenes, still lifes and flowers. He readily used pastel and watercolor techniques, was an accomplished printmaker, and was also involved in sculpture.