Juliusz Joniak (1925 - 2021), Painter and Model, 1972

oil, canvas; 98 x 128 cm;
Signed and dated p. g.: "Joniak 72";
signed, dated and described on the reverse: JULISZ JONIAK / "PAINTER AND MODEL" / 1972.

Provenance: from the collection of the artist's family

Image exhibited:
- Kunstforening, Bergen, 1973.
- Kaleidoscope. Painting by Juliusz Joniak , BWA Gallery of Contemporary Art, Olkusz, 2.06-2.07.2023.
- Juliusz Joniak. Form and Color , Museum "Dwory Karwacjanów i Gładyszów", Gorlice, 6.10-6.11.2023.

Reproduced image:
- Kaleidoscope. Painting of Juliusz Joniak , BWA Gallery of Contemporary Art, Olkusz, exhibition cat. p. 12.
- Juliusz Joniak. Form and color , Museum "Dwory Karwacjanów i Gładyszów", Gorlice, cat. exhibition, p. 9.


In the painting "Painter and Model" Joniak builds a composition using synthetic, colorful planes juxtaposed harmoniously on the surface of the canvas. The depicted figures undergo a certain deformation, the painter also incorporates a still-life motif into the painting, placing a bowl with fruit next to the lying model. Through the symbolic sign of the sun-moon, the painting belongs to the artist's important series "Signs in the Sky."
Joniak's fascination for Picasso's work is also evident in the composition. The artist first travels to Paris in 1957, where he becomes acquainted with avant-garde currents in French art and views Pablo Picasso's cubist paintings. In his works, Joniak repeatedly gives expression to these early inspirations. The painting "Painter and Model" was presented at Juliusz Joniak's solo exhibition at Kunstforening in Bergen in 1973, and has recently been shown at exhibitions reminiscent of the work of the
from an earlier period. (Katarzyna Lomnicka)