Soter Jaxa - Małachowski (1867 Wolanów - 1952 Kraków), On the beach, 1931.

watercolor, gouache, cardboard, 35 × 49.5 cm
Signed and dated p.d.: "SJaxa/1931"

Soter Jaxa - Malachowski was a master at rendering the beauty of the marine element that was the sea. "Małachowski is par exellence a painter of the sea, [...]. Soter Jaxa - Małachowski should be counted among that group of our landscape painters who are the pioneers of Polish marine art and created a number of serious works in this field of painting." (Collective exhibition of Soter Jaxy-Malachowski at the Cracow Palace of Art, in "Czas", 1938, no. 286, p. 9.)
The artist adored painting atmospheric seaside landscapes. He was inspired by his numerous trips to both the shores of the Black, Mediterranean and Baltic Seas. These compositions carried huge loads of serene mood, built up with bright and pure color spots. An idyllic, sunny atmosphere emanated from these scenes. Many times taking up these themes Jaxa enriched these scenes by adding figures or objects. The most common are lonely boats standing alone, fishermen working on the beach preparing to go out to sea for a catch, women hanging up their nets to dry. Extremely rare in the artist's work are figures of beachgoers, and the work included in the catalog presents just such a scene. Here Jaxa, with his characteristic sensitivity, depicted numerous silhouettes of beachgoers bathed in the rays of the summer sun, enjoying the charm of a sunny day.