“The Emotional Content of Revolution” at the Polish Art Gallery in the National Museum in Poznań
28.11.2024
A new Polish Art Gallery has opened at the National Museum in Poznań, marking a significant event for research on Andrzej Wróblewski’s work. For the first time in 76 years, The Emotional Content of Revolution is being presented in its entirety. The painting was previously displayed in full only once, at the Exhibition of Modern Art in the vestibule of the Palace of Art in Kraków, organized in late 1948 and early 1949. Wróblewski debuted at this exhibition as the youngest participant, showcasing works such as Earth, A Painting About the Horrors of War (Fish Without Heads), and The Sun and Other Stars.
By June 1949, Wróblewski had cut the canvas in half, creating Partisans (painted between June 13–19) on one half, and Station 45 / Station in the Recovered Territories (painted between September 10–15) on the other. The latter was displayed a few months later at the exhibition of the Self-Education Team during the Inter-School Exhibition of State Higher Art Schools in Poznań. In 1982, Station 45 / Station in the Recovered Territories was acquired for the collection of the National Museum in Poznań.
Meanwhile, Partisans has been in the National Museum in Poznań for several years as a deposit from the Wielkopolska Society for the Promotion of Fine Arts. At the owner’s request, and in cooperation with the Andrzej Wróblewski Foundation, the painting underwent conservation, including the removal of black paint that had covered the reverse. The artwork also received a new frame, identical to that of Station 45 / Station in the Recovered Territories, allowing for double-sided display. Currently, the figurative compositions are exhibited according to the artist’s intention, resulting in the separation of The Emotional Content of Revolution. It is worth noting that the museum plans to present the painting in its 1948 state in the coming years, enabling viewers to appreciate the entire composition.
These and other aspects of Andrzej Wróblewski’s double-sided canvases are discussed in Magdalena Ziółkowska’s essay, The Pictures Were Seen by Countless Staring Eyes. On the First Posthumous Exhibition of Andrzej Wróblewski in Three Parts, published in 2024 by the Andrzej Wróblewski Foundation and Hatje Cantz Verlag in the book Andrzej Wróblewski. Exhibiting.
The Polish Art Gallery displays both familiar pieces from the National Museum’s permanent exhibitions and deposits. These include works by prominent Polish artists such as Jacek Malczewski, Władysław Podkowiński, Stanisław Wyspiański, Maria Jarema, Tadeusz Kantor, and Jerzy Nowosielski.
The curators of the exhibition are Maria Gołąb, Agnieszka Skalska, Anna Borowiec, Arkadiusz Krawczyk, and Zuzanna Wagner, with the arrangement designed by Raman Tratsiuk.
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