Rafał Olbinski (b. 1943, Kielce), "Tosca," 2004

Literature
The premiere of "Tosca" took place on January 14, 1900 at Teatro Costanzi in Rome. It is considered one of the world's most popular operas, and places the title character among the canon of the greatest opera heroines. "Tosca," one of Giacomo Puccini's twelve operas, is undoubtedly his most popular stage work. Some refer to it as a musical detective story. The opera was based on Victorien Sardou's stage play "La Tosca." Puccini masterfully transformed the play into the "language" of music. It took him three years, he completed the work in 1899, and the effect is compelling. His opera is a combination of melodrama, sensation and sublime eroticism. To this day, the operatic love story of the singer Tosca and the painter Cavaradossi is considered one of the flagship Verist works. This was due to its highly expressive, symphonic music with striking arias and duets, and a brisk plot. Puccini worked according to the unwritten rule that: in opera, every denouement brings the action to life! Here we have as many as three unfortunates who lose their lives. The plot of "Tosca" is set in Rome. Even the exact day date is given. It is June 17, 1800, and the events depicted in the opera happen in just 24 hours. Tense scenes develop the plot as if in an ancient tragedy until the dramatic finale.
The beginning of the story is quite banal: singer Floria Tosca is in love with painter Mario Cavaradossi. Standing in the way of their happiness is the prefect of the Roman police - Baron Scarpia. Cavaradossi is captured by him and sentenced to death. This is the punishment for helping an escaped political prisoner. The price for his life is to be the painter's beloved. Baron Scarpia is willing to withhold his sentence in exchange for the virtue of the beautiful singer. The desperate Tosca, despite her shame and humiliation, agrees to these terms. She sings the aria Vissi d'arte. The words of the song are extremely moving. In free translation, she sings about how she has always been an honest and religious person:
"I gave flowers to the altars
In my hour of sorrow
Why, why, Lord
why do you repay me so?"
The opera, unfortunately, is remarkably timely. In light of the #metoo movement and the numerous court hearings involving well-known businessmen and even former President Donald Trump, the issues raised related to abuse of power and shameful sexual practices seem (unfortunately) still relevant.
This problem was perfectly illustrated by Rafal Olbinski in the work presented at the auction. In "Tosca" the artist brilliantly depicts the quintessential opera by Giacomo Puccini. The painting consists of two parts. It resembles a playing card, specifically a lady. The upper part of the painting depicts an elegant woman in a red dress, white gloves and jewelry. The fact that this is a strong and confident woman is evidenced not only by the color of her clothing, but also by the pose she adopts. Namely, she supports her hands on her hips. This makes her look like a person in full control of the situation. This image differs significantly from the portrait of the same woman, painted at the bottom of the composition. Here we see Tosca stripped bare, without jewels or a fancy hairstyle. What the two images of the lady have in common is her penetrating, almost chastening gaze. She looks at the audience with clear irritation. Both Puccini's opera and Olbinski's painting offer much food for thought. While the situation of women has undoubtedly improved, there is still much to be done....

Biography
In 1969 he graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the Warsaw University of Technology. In 1981, he immigrated to the United States. Since 1985 he has been teaching at the influential School of Fine Arts in New York. His posters and illustrations appear regularly in Newsweek, Time, Business Week, New York Times, New Yorker magazines. He has created numerous posters for American operas (New York City Opera, Utah Opera, Pacific Opera San Francisco, Philadelphia Opera). In 2002, he made a successful debut as an opera set designer for a production of Don Giovanni in Philadelphia. In 2003, he became an Honorary Citizen of his hometown of Kielce. Rafal Olbinski has received more than 100 awards for his illustrations, posters and paintings. In 1994 he won the international Oscar in Paris for the Most Significant, Unforgettable Poster of the World Prix Savignac. In 1995, his design was chosen for the 'New York City the Capital of the World' poster by a jury chaired by Mayor Rudolf Giuliani. Olbinski's paintings are in major collections of contemporary art (Library of Congress, Carnegie Foundation, Republic New York Corporation), as well as in many private collections in the US, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Australia.