Collection of Ethnographic Drawings

Kajetan Wincenty Kielisiński created numerous etchings and drawings devoted to folklore, life in Polish villages and towns, historical monuments, and landscapes. He was one of the first to develop bookplates in Poland. During his travels to various locations, he collected graphic materials for the publications "Polish Antiquities" and "Folk Costumes". In 1855, Poznań publisher Jan Konstanty Żupanski published "The Kielisiński's Album", which collected the artist's scattered works. Kielisiński's graphic works, drawings, sketchbooks, and correspondence were kept in the Kórnik Library of the Polish Academy of Sciences, as well as in national museums (Kraków, Poznań, Warsaw) and renowned libraries (Jagiellonian University, Ossolineum, Warsaw University). The image depicts two women who can be characterized as representatives of the bourgeoisie. They are shown walking down a street, likely a suburb, as suggested by the buildings on the horizon and the fence by the road. The figures of the women, their poses and gestures, suggest that this is a moment captured in conversation between two close people, most likely relatives. Based on their poses and facial expressions, we can assume that the woman on the right is older than her companion, suggesting that we might be looking at a mother and daughter. The direct gaze and confident posture of the head and torso, in contrast to the more “submissive” and dependent gaze and gestures of the woman on the left, reinforce this assumption. The person on the left bows her head and leans toward the woman on the right, which can be interpreted as a sign of submission or respect. The composition depicts a genre scene from folk life. The image is executed in pencil using graphic techniques. It should be noted that the depiction is detailed, and the author's interest in conveying the costume's details is evident. The figures are rendered attentively and meticulously, with an emphasis on the details of the clothing. The contoured background creates context without distracting from the figures, but rather accentuating them. The artist focused on the women's everyday attire. The contours are clear, and the folds of the fabric are drawn with lines that convey the texture of the material. Since the drawing accurately reflects and conveys the details and features of the folk clothing of a particular region, it has a pronounced ethnographic, historical, and cultural value. Its artistic significance lies in the accurate and detailed reproduction of folk costumes, making it a valuable source for research and study of traditional culture. From an aesthetic point of view, we are dealing with a realistic drawing, with a special emphasis on its documentary nature.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery