Olga Boznańska: “A Woman with a Japanese Umbrella”
This painting, painted by one the most eminent Polish female painters, Olga Boznańska (1865–1940), is one that is simply impossible to ignore.
A Woman With a Japanese Parasol (1892) by Olga Boznańska (1865–1940)National Museum in Wrocław
The red of the woman’s dress and hat, and an oriental umbrella, attract attention. They are in stark contrast with the bright landscape outside the window and muted colors used by the artist to paint the interior of the study in Munich.
An elegant lady dressed in red is sitting on the windowsill of an open window. Was she just about to go for a walk? Or perhaps she wanted to shelter from the sun, given that it was such a sunny day?
[Woman with Parasol] (1870s - 1890s) by Kusakabe KimbeiThe J. Paul Getty Museum
In Boznańska’s time, a Japanese umbrella was an incredibly fashionable female accessory and indicated a fascination with the culture and art of the Orient.
A Woman With a Japanese Parasol (1892) by Olga Boznańska (1865–1940)National Museum in Wrocław
The painting was considered to be the artist’s self-portrait for many years. Recently, doubts have arisen among experts in Boznańska’s work as to whether this really is the painter’s self-portrait.
Olga Boznańska specialized in portrait painting. She was able to capture the model’s character traits in her paintings. The caring nanny, full of warmth and tranquility, is most probably the wife of the artist’s cousin, Berta Mordant.
Olga Boznańska, “The Nanny” (Piastunka), 1899
A Woman With a Japanese Parasol (1892) by Olga Boznańska (1865–1940)National Museum in Wrocław
This alleged self-portrait shows a proud and intriguing woman who is sensitive to colors and their nuances. Her figure is a strong, colorful accent in the painting, just like Boznańska’s works, which were highly original against the background of other Polish art.
As a woman living in 19th-century Kraków, she was not allowed to be admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts, so she honed her skills by taking private courses instead. In 1886, she went to Munich to continue her studies. In 1898, she moved to Paris (France), where she lived and created her paintings for the rest of her life. She was completely devoted to art. When she was offered a position to chair the department of painting at the women's department of the Kraków’s Academy of Fine Arts she refused, stating that her own development as a painter was her priority.
Barbara Przerwa | Aleksandra Ziemlańska
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