Young Men with a Bear at Christmas (K. W. Kielisinski's Album)

Kajetan Kielisiński created numerous etchings and drawings dedicated to folklore, the life of Polish villages and towns, historical monuments, and landscapes. In 1853, the Poznań publisher Jan Konstanty Żupański issued "Kielisiński's Album", gathering the artist's scattered works, most of which had remained unpublished during his lifetime. Two years later, in 1855, Żupański released a supplementary volume to complement the previous edition, which included etchings depicting coins and seals, figures in historical costumes, alongside rural and urban landscapes.
The presented etching belongs to the graphic sheets published within this 1855 supplement.
The sheet depicts a scene from a traditional dramatised Christmas and New Year ritual featuring mummers (shchedruvalnyky / carolling). The action takes place in a darkened room against the backdrop of a tall doorway. The light source is located to the left, outside the composition.
Three characters participate in the scene. A leader wearing a svyta (traditional coat) and boots guides a mummer in the guise of a "Bear" on a chain with his left hand. In his extended right hand, he holds a hat, appealing to the hosts for a ritual reward. To the right, another participant in the guise of a "Goat" moves on his knees, his face concealed by an animal mask with twisted horns.
A distinct shadow of the "Bear" mask cast upon the right wall by the light source enhances the mysterious and grotesque atmosphere of folk masquerade traditions.
The sheet is distinguished by its rich ethnographic material and masterful chiaroscuro. Through varied hatching, the artist successfully and convincingly rendered the texture of the fur and the complex drapery of the clothing.

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery