Olga Boznańska - Portrait of Łucja Detloff 1917
Olga Boznańska - Portrait of Łucja Detloff 1917
Title: Portrait of Łucja Dettloff
Author: Olga Boznańska
Date: 1917
Type: Painting
Medium: Oil on cardboard
Dimensions: height: 33 cm, width: 24 cm; with frame: height: 43 cm, width: 34 cm, depth: 4 cm
The vertically oriented oil painting depicts Łucja Dettloff, an elderly, elegant woman seated on a chair. The overall impression is that of an impressionistic vision—delicate, fleeting, and captured in haste. The composition resembles a sketch: unfinished, free, with visible, distinct brushstrokes. There are no clear contours, no precision. Shapes only emerge from a certain distance, while up close everything breaks down into separate patches of color, each moving to its own rhythm.
Her gray, almost white hair is arranged in a high bun. The sitter’s face is slender and elongated. The features are sharp, with pronounced cheekbones. Individual parts of the face are built up with free, expressive brushstrokes. The light falls from the left, while the shadow on the right side of the face is rendered with blue patches. The face appears bright, yet flushed. On the cheeks and under the nose are pale green and, in places, red marks—perhaps a deliberate artistic choice, perhaps accidental. The eyes are particularly striking: painted in a general way, yet capturing the sitter’s character. They are large, light blue, reflecting white light, which lends the woman a certain innocence. The lips are small and thin. There is no smile, but the face conveys calmness and kindness.
The woman sits upright, slightly turned to the left. Her head faces the viewer. She wears a dark navy dress with a high collar and puffed sleeves. The fabric is not uniform; it shimmers with colors. Shades of blue, green, violet, and occasional red accents are visible. On her chest, a small bright spot marks a green brooch or pocket square. Her hands, resting on her lap, are loosely sketched without detail. Between her fingers she holds something pale—perhaps a handkerchief, perhaps a slip of paper. In the upper right corner appears the artist’s signature in black, blending into the background.
The entire painting is built of dispersed colors and pulsating light. At its heart is the luminous, vivid face, which dominates the composition. Everything else—the dress, the chair, the surrounding space—serves only to emphasize it.
Audio description prepared by Emilia Szymańska
Consultation: Adrian Wyka
Substantive Consultation: Urszula Kozakowska - Zaucha
Author: Olga Boznańska
Date: 1917
Type: Painting
Medium: Oil on cardboard
Dimensions: height: 33 cm, width: 24 cm; with frame: height: 43 cm, width: 34 cm, depth: 4 cm
The vertically oriented oil painting depicts Łucja Dettloff, an elderly, elegant woman seated on a chair. The overall impression is that of an impressionistic vision—delicate, fleeting, and captured in haste. The composition resembles a sketch: unfinished, free, with visible, distinct brushstrokes. There are no clear contours, no precision. Shapes only emerge from a certain distance, while up close everything breaks down into separate patches of color, each moving to its own rhythm.
Her gray, almost white hair is arranged in a high bun. The sitter’s face is slender and elongated. The features are sharp, with pronounced cheekbones. Individual parts of the face are built up with free, expressive brushstrokes. The light falls from the left, while the shadow on the right side of the face is rendered with blue patches. The face appears bright, yet flushed. On the cheeks and under the nose are pale green and, in places, red marks—perhaps a deliberate artistic choice, perhaps accidental. The eyes are particularly striking: painted in a general way, yet capturing the sitter’s character. They are large, light blue, reflecting white light, which lends the woman a certain innocence. The lips are small and thin. There is no smile, but the face conveys calmness and kindness.
The woman sits upright, slightly turned to the left. Her head faces the viewer. She wears a dark navy dress with a high collar and puffed sleeves. The fabric is not uniform; it shimmers with colors. Shades of blue, green, violet, and occasional red accents are visible. On her chest, a small bright spot marks a green brooch or pocket square. Her hands, resting on her lap, are loosely sketched without detail. Between her fingers she holds something pale—perhaps a handkerchief, perhaps a slip of paper. In the upper right corner appears the artist’s signature in black, blending into the background.
The entire painting is built of dispersed colors and pulsating light. At its heart is the luminous, vivid face, which dominates the composition. Everything else—the dress, the chair, the surrounding space—serves only to emphasize it.
Audio description prepared by Emilia Szymańska
Consultation: Adrian Wyka
Substantive Consultation: Urszula Kozakowska - Zaucha