Dimensions: 24 x 15 cm
the work derivatively inscribed on the reverse: 'MARIA WNĘK | (1992-2005)'
Condition
unframed
Biography
Polish painter, one of the most prominent Polish representatives of art brut. She came from a peasant family, graduated from four grades of school, after which she was forced to work for a living, working in a dairy, a military kitchen and at the regulation of the Dunajec River. While working to regulate the river, she suffered an accident, which forced her to go on disability pension. While on disability, she earned extra money by cleaning, and that's how she met Ewa Harsdorf, a painter, thanks to whom she began to learn to paint. Wnęk was a very religious person, having taken a vow of chastity at the age of 16. Religion was the highlight of her life. The artist suffered from schizophrenia, and through the progression of the disease in 1982 she was incapacitated and hospitalized for many years. Wnęk's paintings are characterized by flat-painted figures, brought out with dark, strong contours and carefully developed eyes, which are reminiscent of icon painting in their character. Often on the reverses of Maria Wnęk's works were placed so-called "biographies," i.e. descriptions of the works written by the author, which also included divine warnings against moral decay and impending doom.
