Dimensions: 150 x 197 cm
From the collection of the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts, in the MNW since 1942
Inv. no. MP 561 MNW
Adoption period: 1 year
Biography
Józef Chelmonski's late paintings are dominated by landscapes animated by the presence of birds or other animals. However, the paintings rarely feature people, representing the rural community. They are always anonymous figures, included as an integral part of the universe. Such are also the heroes of the painting "Bociany", described by one of the painter's monographers as "a hallowed symbol of Polishness". The rhythm of life of the characters in the painting is primordial in nature, it is subordinated to the cycle of seasons, marking the time of work and rest. A moment of respite during plowing allows the farmer to take his eyes off the ground and see the silhouettes of birds - an infallible announcement of the arrival of spring, the rebirth of nature. According to folk beliefs, the sight of the first arriving storks augurs fertility, prosperity and health for the whole year. The father and son look up to the sky with serenity, confident in the eternal order of the laws of nature. Perhaps only on the man's face is painted a barely graspable expression of longing for the unrestricted freedom of the gliding birds.
Jozef Chelmonski was gifted with an excellent sense of observation. Since childhood, he was close to the rural community and created paintings that reflected the customs and character of the villagers.
