Winter Night in Ukraine

As part of a research project accompanying preparations for our exhibition, selected works by Chełmoński were subjected to technological examination to better understand the artist’s techniques and working methods. An X-ray view of this painting revealed something unusual for Chełmoński’s process: significant changes introduced to the composition. The original version was more dynamic. The sleigh in the background was initially placed in the foreground, where we now see the deep ruts in the snow. Also in the foreground but slightly more to the left, the artist had envisaged silhouettes of horses. These changes ultimately transformed the character of the work, calming its overall atmosphere.