Painter, graphic artist, illustrator, set designer and a designer of fabrics, posters and toys; connected with Warsaw and Zakopane. Born in 1891 and died in 1976
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Zofia Stryjeńska was amongst the most colourful figures of artistic life in interwar Poland. She began painting in Kraków under the supervision of L. Stroynowski and continued her education in 1909 at the Maria Niedzielska School of Fine Arts for Women in Kraków. In 1911, she enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich as a man, since at that time the school did not accept women as students.
In 1916, Zofia Lubańska married Karol Stryjeński, an architect and educator with whom she lived in Zakopane between1921 and1927. In 1918, she joined the Kraków Workshops as a toy and graphic portfolio designer. Between 1917 and 1918 she created Pascha (Passover) a series of five tempera paintings, which combined elements of Polish folklore with religious iconographic motifs. She published two portfolios of colour lithographs entitled Bożki Słowiańskie (The Slavic Idols, 1918, 1922) in which she revived and transformed archaic Slavic mythology.
Stryjeńska cultivated decorative painting that corresponded well with architecture. Her most important works in this field include: frescoes in the Museum of Science and Industry in Kraków (1917), polychromes for several historical houses in Warsaw's Old Townas well as a tower in The Wawel Royal Castle (1917) and interior decorations of the Fukier winery in Warsaw. Zofia Stryjeńska’s monumental compositions include the Łowy Bogów series (God Hunt,1921), Poranek (Morning), Wieczór (Evening) and Koncert Beriota (Beriot’s Concert,1923).
At the International Exhibition of Decorative Art in Paris in 1925,ZofiaStryjeńska was awarded four Grand Prix in the categories of architectural decoration, poster, fabric and book illustration as well astwo honorary diplomas. The artist’s dynamic compositions fill the entire frame from edge to edge. Her characteristically simplified forms transmit a joyful mood; the affirmation of life embedded in Polish tradition blends in with the rhythm of nature. A multitude of colours,dynamic framing, rhythmic linear elements, compositional consistency and an abundance of decorative details are Stryjeńska’s hallmarks. She was an extraordinarily versatile artist and whilst she adapted her style to the task at hand, she always left her distinctive mark on it.
The series Młoda Polska Wieś (Young Polish Countryside), created at the peak of Stryjeńska's artistic activity, is a eulogy to the beauty of rural life and youth in Poland. It includes images of country girls dressed in flowers and ribbons, handsome young men and children; the drawings Chłopczyk Z Fujarką (Boy With a Pipe), Dziewczynka Osłaniająca Świecę(Girl Sheltering A Candle) and Dziecko Przy Oknie (Child By The Window) derive from the tradition of children’s lyrical portraits sketched with pastels by Stanisław Wyspiański. Within the period of Stryjeńska's greatest popularity, her works were distributed in the form of portfolios, albums and postcards by the Jakub Mortkowicz publishing house.
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Captivated by her native folklore and thelegendary Polish kings of the Piast dynasty, Stryjeńska traversed folk motifs, transformed ornaments, transposed costumes, giving the compositions momentum, liveliness and decorative rhythm. The linear, slightly geometrised forms were complemented by a range of vivid, saturated colours, creating rich, tapestry-like arrangements. An important element of Zofia Styjeńska’s style was the extensive narrative nature of the scenes she painted. The episodes,beaming with vital energy, were often portrayed in a humorous or grotesque way.
In the mid-1920s the artist settled in Warsaw – the cultural hub of Poland in the interwar period. During this time – taking part actively in the Polish capital's artistic, literary, and theatrical life – Stryjeńska became the symbol of an era, appealing first and foremost to the tastes of the intelligentsia of her day. In 1927, she was appointed a correspondent for the Verein der Deutschen Buchkünstler. As a set designer, Stryjeńska cooperated with the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Kraków. There she created decorations for the Harnasie ballet, which was later staged in Warsaw, Paris, Brussels and New York City. In the 1930s – partly as a result of too many orders – Stryjeńska's style became superficially decorative and excessively mannered.
Stryjeńska’s solo exhibitions were held, amongst others, at the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts in Warsaw – TZSP (1919, 1926), Galerie Crillon in Paris (1921), New Art Salon in London (1927), the Museum of Art Industry in Lviv (1932) and the Institute of Art Propaganda in Warsaw (1935). Moreover, the artist exhibited her works at the Venice Biennale (1920, 1930, 1932) and at exhibitions organised between 1927 and 1939 by the Society for the Promotion of Polish Art Among Foreigners. In 1929, she received a medal for book illustrations at the Polish General Exhibition in Poznań. In 1932, she was awarded a gold medal at the 18thVenice Biennale; in 1971, she was honoured for her artistic achievements by the Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation in New York. She spent the post-war period in France and Switzerland.