Olga Boznańska - Portrait of Henryk Sienkiewicz 1913
Olga Boznańska - Portrait of Henryk Sienkiewicz 1913
Title: Portrait of Henryk Sienkiewicz
Author: Olga Boznańska
Date: 1913
Type: Painting
Medium: Oil on cardboard
Dimensions: height: 103 cm, width: 70 cm, depth: 9 cm; with frame: height: 123 cm, width: 93 cm, depth: 10 cm
The vertically oriented portrait depicts Henryk Sienkiewicz seated in an armchair. The writer is shown frontally, from the knees upward. Light falls on his face from the left, reflecting on his bare forehead. He has a fair complexion, gray hair with a bald patch, gray mustache, and a short beard. His eyebrows are barely visible. His eyes are large and dark, framed by thin spectacles. The face conveys seriousness, yet also a subtle sense of surprise. His gaze appears focused, though slightly absent. He is dressed in a dark suit with a waistcoat and a dark tie at the collar.
He sits with his left leg resting on his right knee. His left hand, adorned with a ring, rests on his knee, while his right hand lies freely on his thigh. The fingers are slightly bent, and the hands are rendered with precision, showing realistic chiaroscuro and warm red tones. The background is only lightly suggested with patches of blue, green, and gold. The composition can be divided into two parts: the upper section, featuring the face and background, is lighter, though not bright; the lower section is dark, cropped to include only the man’s black suit. Only the hands stand out against the deep shadow of the fabric.
In the upper right corner is the artist’s signature, painted in black: Olga Boznańska. 1913.
The portrait was created with the gravity befitting a celebrated Nobel laureate. Yet it does not proclaim grandeur with arrogance; rather, it whispers of authority and experience.
Audio description prepared by Emilia Szymańska
Consultation: Adrian Wyka
Substantive Consultation: Urszula Kozakowska - Zaucha
Author: Olga Boznańska
Date: 1913
Type: Painting
Medium: Oil on cardboard
Dimensions: height: 103 cm, width: 70 cm, depth: 9 cm; with frame: height: 123 cm, width: 93 cm, depth: 10 cm
The vertically oriented portrait depicts Henryk Sienkiewicz seated in an armchair. The writer is shown frontally, from the knees upward. Light falls on his face from the left, reflecting on his bare forehead. He has a fair complexion, gray hair with a bald patch, gray mustache, and a short beard. His eyebrows are barely visible. His eyes are large and dark, framed by thin spectacles. The face conveys seriousness, yet also a subtle sense of surprise. His gaze appears focused, though slightly absent. He is dressed in a dark suit with a waistcoat and a dark tie at the collar.
He sits with his left leg resting on his right knee. His left hand, adorned with a ring, rests on his knee, while his right hand lies freely on his thigh. The fingers are slightly bent, and the hands are rendered with precision, showing realistic chiaroscuro and warm red tones. The background is only lightly suggested with patches of blue, green, and gold. The composition can be divided into two parts: the upper section, featuring the face and background, is lighter, though not bright; the lower section is dark, cropped to include only the man’s black suit. Only the hands stand out against the deep shadow of the fabric.
In the upper right corner is the artist’s signature, painted in black: Olga Boznańska. 1913.
The portrait was created with the gravity befitting a celebrated Nobel laureate. Yet it does not proclaim grandeur with arrogance; rather, it whispers of authority and experience.
Audio description prepared by Emilia Szymańska
Consultation: Adrian Wyka
Substantive Consultation: Urszula Kozakowska - Zaucha