Breton Woman Sitting at the Seashore

The beliefs of Ślewiński were in fact quite similar to those of Paul Sérusier, the artist responsible for the two works displayed on the opposite wall. Both pieces were painted in Brittany, in the small town of Huelgoat, where the artist found shelter from the throngs of tourists that had already begun to descend on Pont-Aven. He sought undiscovered traditions and was interested in folk beliefs and customs. The larger canvas, titled The Snake Eaters, relates an obscure Breton legend. We see four figures performing a mysterious ritual in a forest. In line with the spirit of Symbolism, the artist was concerned with capturing the aura of mystery and the unknown. He sought a means to express the emotions and impressions with no intention of producing a faithful rendition of reality. The mood is created by the simplicity and the two-dimensionality of the forms, as well as by the colour palette reduced to browns, reds and blacks. Both of Sérusier’s paintings originate from the collection of the famous playwright Gabriela Zapolska.