Olga Boznańska - Portrait of a Woman in a White Dress (Portrait of Zofia Fenerowiczowa) 1890
Olga Boznańska - Portrait of a Woman in a White Dress (Portrait of Zofia Fenerowiczowa) 1890
Title: Portrait of a Woman in a White Dress Against an Interior
Author: Olga Boznańska
Date: 1890
Type: Painting
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: height: 150 cm, width: 100 cm; with frame: height: 159.5 cm, width: 109.5 cm, depth: 8 cm
This vertical painting depicts a woman seated on the corner of a dark sofa, dressed in a white gown. The composition is constructed diagonally, with the figure stretching across the canvas from the head in the upper left to the folds of the dress flowing down toward the lower right. This diagonal arrangement introduces a sense of dynamism, though the sitter herself remains still.
The woman has dark hair tied in a low bun, with a short fringe falling onto her forehead. Her pale, porcelain-like complexion is softened by touches of pink on the cheeks and ears. Dark, prominent eyes are slightly averted to the left, with a delicate glint of light reflecting in them. Her full, rosy lips form a gentle smile, giving her face a calm, serene expression.
She wears a long white dress decorated with a subtle floral motif. The gown has puffed sleeves ending in cuffs, a closed neckline with diagonally folded fabric, and a fitted waist from which the skirt flares into loose, soft folds. Her right hand rests on a crimson drapery that cascades down the sofa, adding a warm accent against the cool palette of the gown. Her hands are gently clasped together, wrists adorned with gold bracelets.
The background is a gray wall decorated with paintings, sketches, and reproductions, hung in an apparently casual arrangement, evoking the atmosphere of an artist’s studio. To the left hangs a dark, indistinct portrait rendered in shades of red and brown; to the right, a sketch of a bearded man, above which appears a small reproduction of Diego Velázquez’s *Infanta*, slightly tilted. Two Japanese prints, vibrant in blue, red, yellow, and green, overlap the portrait, their motifs left deliberately ambiguous.
The work combines realism with Boznańska’s signature atmospheric softness. The sitter is clearly defined, yet the background remains blurred, with indistinct contours and painterly patches of color. Despite the abundance of detail, the interior does not compete with the figure but instead enhances her presence. The result is an image that balances clarity with subtle diffusion, imbuing the scene with intimacy and artistic depth.
Audio description prepared by Emilia Szymańska
Consultation: Adrian Wyka
Substantive Consultation: Urszula Kozakowska - Zaucha
Author: Olga Boznańska
Date: 1890
Type: Painting
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: height: 150 cm, width: 100 cm; with frame: height: 159.5 cm, width: 109.5 cm, depth: 8 cm
This vertical painting depicts a woman seated on the corner of a dark sofa, dressed in a white gown. The composition is constructed diagonally, with the figure stretching across the canvas from the head in the upper left to the folds of the dress flowing down toward the lower right. This diagonal arrangement introduces a sense of dynamism, though the sitter herself remains still.
The woman has dark hair tied in a low bun, with a short fringe falling onto her forehead. Her pale, porcelain-like complexion is softened by touches of pink on the cheeks and ears. Dark, prominent eyes are slightly averted to the left, with a delicate glint of light reflecting in them. Her full, rosy lips form a gentle smile, giving her face a calm, serene expression.
She wears a long white dress decorated with a subtle floral motif. The gown has puffed sleeves ending in cuffs, a closed neckline with diagonally folded fabric, and a fitted waist from which the skirt flares into loose, soft folds. Her right hand rests on a crimson drapery that cascades down the sofa, adding a warm accent against the cool palette of the gown. Her hands are gently clasped together, wrists adorned with gold bracelets.
The background is a gray wall decorated with paintings, sketches, and reproductions, hung in an apparently casual arrangement, evoking the atmosphere of an artist’s studio. To the left hangs a dark, indistinct portrait rendered in shades of red and brown; to the right, a sketch of a bearded man, above which appears a small reproduction of Diego Velázquez’s *Infanta*, slightly tilted. Two Japanese prints, vibrant in blue, red, yellow, and green, overlap the portrait, their motifs left deliberately ambiguous.
The work combines realism with Boznańska’s signature atmospheric softness. The sitter is clearly defined, yet the background remains blurred, with indistinct contours and painterly patches of color. Despite the abundance of detail, the interior does not compete with the figure but instead enhances her presence. The result is an image that balances clarity with subtle diffusion, imbuing the scene with intimacy and artistic depth.
Audio description prepared by Emilia Szymańska
Consultation: Adrian Wyka
Substantive Consultation: Urszula Kozakowska - Zaucha