Children with a Lamb

This woodcut is part of the Szlembark portfolio, inspired by a highland village in the Podhale region. The exhausted, laborious inhabitants of Szlembark and their daily connection to animals, the land, and nature were among the most prominent themes in Kulisiewicz’s graphic and drawing works.
The children depicted here are likely shepherds, with the lamb serving as an attribute of childhood. While the lamb may appear as a charming motif, for the children portrayed, it symbolizes the harsh fate marked by physical labor, beginning almost from the cradle. The figures of the two children dominate the composition, with the mountainous landscape forming the backdrop. The boy, shown frontally, wears a shirt, trousers held up by a belt, and a hat. He holds the lamb in his arms, cradling it against his chest. The girl wears a dress, and both children have a cloth draped over their heads, which, along with their clothing, creates sharply angular folds. Their narrow, distorted figures are characterized by disproportionately large heads, and their hands appear bony.