Wojciech Weiss, AKT

Oil, canvas pasted on cardboard, 55 x 42 cm,
Signed p.d. monogrammed: WW.
The pale, glowing skin of the woman in profile contrasts with her short, dark hair. Her face and hairstyle are slightly geometric; the simplified features convey the delicate, erotically restrained beauty of the model (perhaps a young Aneri?). The painting is kept in monochromatic tones, and Weiss' favorite nude motif gives the painter an opportunity to display his technical proficiency. Such expressive portraits, reflecting psychological features and showing the beauty of the female body, the nudes won him fame in the interwar period.

Wojciech WEISS (1875-1950)
From 1891 to 1895 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow, first with W. Luszczkiewicz and J. Matejko, and later in the studio of L. Wyczółkowski. In 1999 he left for Paris, where he later returned many times. In 1901 and 1902, he continued his studies in Rome and Florence. In 1907, he began working at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow, with which he was associated for the rest of his life; he served as rector three times. In his youth, he succumbed to a fascination with the decadent mood emanating from Stanislaw Przybyszewski, painting scenes straight out of French cafes and taking up end-of-life themes. His work was inspired by various currents and styles of painting - realism, impressionism, post-impressionism, nabism, fauvism, symbolism. After 1908, he focused his work mainly on the problems of luminism, painting in a post-impressionist manner. In the interwar period, he became famous as a painter of rendering psychological features, expressive workshop portraits and portraying the beauty of the female body in nudes. From 1915 onward, he painted primarily sunlit Calvary landscapes and still lifes. He was interested in Impressionism as a direction involving the juxtaposition of broad patches of color, partial simplifications of form, issues of artificial light, free texture, and plein-airism requiring a lightened palette. Most of his paintings, however, lean more toward Post-Impressionism than Impressionism, especially Cezanne's distinctive style, focusing on color and neglecting Pre-Cubist form, thus remaining with considerable realism. His works were exhibited in solo and group exhibitions. One of the most famous took place in 1916 at the TPSP building in Krakow, becoming a real revelation in the art community. There, Weiss demonstrated painting virtuosity and excellent drawing proficiency. The paintings of this esteemed artist are now in numerous state and private collections.