Author: Henryk Stażewski
Title: Caricature (1942)
Technique: gouache, paper glued on cardboard
Inside dimensions with passe-partout: 27 x 20 cm
Dimensions with passe-partout: 48.5 x 38.5 cm
Signed and dated p.d.: "H. Stażewski 1942".
Visible discoloration of the paper and restoration of the ground in the upper left corner.
Description of work:
Henryk Stażewski was one of the pioneers of the Polish artistic avant-garde. The artist created in the spirit of geometric abstraction, not limiting himself to painting. The offered work, however, dates from the period of World War II, thus it belongs to the group of extremely rare works that survived the turmoil of war, and stylistically it is still part of the early figurative current of Henryk Stażewski's work.
In a sketchy, linear form, the artist showed the figure of an elegantly dressed man leaning on a cane with his left hand. The satirical meaning of the image is enhanced by the proportions of the body - the head is far too large. This convention of representation, characteristic of caricature, allows to bring out and enhance the characteristics of the physiognomy of the portrayed person. In the offered work, the painter, with the help of expressive contours and pure patches of color, created a strong in expression whole, which shows the drawing skill, and at the same time betrays already Henryk Stażewski's penchant for geometrization of forms.
A biography of Henryk Stażewski is available on the website of Krakow Auction House [SEE].
If you would like to sell Henryk Stażewski's paintings, please contact us [LINK].
