Jerzy Wronowski (1908–1944), A series of watercolors from the occupation period, the 1940s (before August 1944)
A set of watercolors and two monotypes. Signed works:
1. Farmstead, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 51 x 36.5 cm; signed lower left: “Jerzy Wronowski 1941.” Tears in the margins (especially the top margin).
2. The Reader, charcoal or crayon drawing; sheet dimensions: 26.5 x 21 cm; signed in pencil at the bottom right of the composition: "Jerzy Wronowski | Liśnik 1940".
3. Manor House, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 24.5 x 36 cm; signed lower left: “Jerzy Wronowski 1942 | To Jasi as a keepsake.”
Other unsigned works:
4. Landscape with a Roadside Cross, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 31 x 44 cm; unsigned; traces of thumbtacks in the corners
5. View of the Countryside, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 30 x 46 cm; unsigned; paper discoloration and a crease in the lower left corner
6. View by the Reeds, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 21.5 x 26 cm; unsigned; notes on the reverse made in the village of Liśnik in 1942; paper loss in the lower part of the sheet; traces of thumbtacks in the corners
7. View of Fields, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 25 x 35.5 cm; unsigned; traces of thumbtacks in the corners
8. Cat by a Book, color monotype, paper; sheet dimensions: 21 x 35 cm; unsigned; notes on the reverse
9. A Cottage, watercolor on cardboard; dimensions: 14.5 x 21 cm; unsigned
10. Seated Boy, pencil on paper; sheet dimensions: 30.5 x 22.5 cm; unsigned
11. Seated Man I, pencil, paper; sheet dimensions: 31 x 22 cm; unsigned
12. Woman Reading, colored pencil, paper; sheet dimensions: 32.5 x 23.5 cm; unsigned
13. Seated Man II, pencil on paper; sheet dimensions: 31 x 22.5 cm; unsigned; tear in the paper along the left margin.
14. Flowers in a Pot, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 47 x 30 cm; unsigned; chipping, creases, and missing margins
15. In a Windy Garden, gouache on paper; dimensions: 35 x 48.5 cm; unsigned; losses along the margins of the sheet
16. In the Garden, gouache on paper; dimensions: 35 x 50 cm; unsigned; significant paper loss (especially in the corners)
17. Country Boy, monotype, paper; sheet dimensions: 50 x 35 cm; unsigned; dust on the paper and paper loss, especially in the lower margin
18. Interior, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 50 x 37 cm; unsigned; traces of thumbtacks in the corners
Jerzy Wronowski (1908–1944) was a Polish painter associated with the artistic community of Greater Poland and a representative of avant-garde trends in the art of the interwar period. He was born on June 16, 1908, in Łódź, and lived in Kalisz from 1920 onward. In 1932, he graduated from the Department of Decorative Painting at the School of Decorative Arts and Artistic Industry in Poznań. In 1934, under the guidance of Józef Mehoffer, he participated in the creation of the polychrome decoration of the church in Turek.
He was a member of the “Plastyka” Group of Greater Poland Artists, with whom he exhibited, among other places, at the Zachęta in Warsaw. In 1938, his “Self-Portrait,” presented at the annual Zachęta Salon, was honored with the National Culture Fund Award. That same year, the artist created the polychrome decorations in the sanctuary of St. Dorothy’s Church in Opatówek. His body of work also included easel paintings, decorative designs, and functional works, all in the spirit of the modern artistic trends of the era.
After the outbreak of World War II, he was displaced from Kalisz and settled in Kraków. In 1942–1943, he was imprisoned at the castle in Lublin. After his release from prison, he went to Warsaw, where he was killed in August 1944 during the Warsaw Uprising.
Works created in the village of Liśnik, located in the Lublin Voivodeship, Tarnobrzeg County, in the municipality of Gościeradów, where the artist stayed during the occupation in the early 1940s.
A set of watercolors and two monotypes. Signed works:
1. Farmstead, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 51 x 36.5 cm; signed lower left: “Jerzy Wronowski 1941.” Tears in the margins (especially the top margin).
2. The Reader, charcoal or crayon drawing; sheet dimensions: 26.5 x 21 cm; signed in pencil at the bottom right of the composition: "Jerzy Wronowski | Liśnik 1940".
3. Manor House, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 24.5 x 36 cm; signed lower left: “Jerzy Wronowski 1942 | To Jasi as a keepsake.”
Other unsigned works:
4. Landscape with a Roadside Cross, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 31 x 44 cm; unsigned; traces of thumbtacks in the corners
5. View of the Countryside, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 30 x 46 cm; unsigned; paper discoloration and a crease in the lower left corner
6. View by the Reeds, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 21.5 x 26 cm; unsigned; notes on the reverse made in the village of Liśnik in 1942; paper loss in the lower part of the sheet; traces of thumbtacks in the corners
7. View of Fields, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 25 x 35.5 cm; unsigned; traces of thumbtacks in the corners
8. Cat by a Book, color monotype, paper; sheet dimensions: 21 x 35 cm; unsigned; notes on the reverse
9. A Cottage, watercolor on cardboard; dimensions: 14.5 x 21 cm; unsigned
10. Seated Boy, pencil on paper; sheet dimensions: 30.5 x 22.5 cm; unsigned
11. Seated Man I, pencil, paper; sheet dimensions: 31 x 22 cm; unsigned
12. Woman Reading, colored pencil, paper; sheet dimensions: 32.5 x 23.5 cm; unsigned
13. Seated Man II, pencil on paper; sheet dimensions: 31 x 22.5 cm; unsigned; tear in the paper along the left margin.
14. Flowers in a Pot, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 47 x 30 cm; unsigned; chipping, creases, and missing margins
15. In a Windy Garden, gouache on paper; dimensions: 35 x 48.5 cm; unsigned; losses along the margins of the sheet
16. In the Garden, gouache on paper; dimensions: 35 x 50 cm; unsigned; significant paper loss (especially in the corners)
17. Country Boy, monotype, paper; sheet dimensions: 50 x 35 cm; unsigned; dust on the paper and paper loss, especially in the lower margin
18. Interior, watercolor on paper; dimensions: 50 x 37 cm; unsigned; traces of thumbtacks in the corners
Jerzy Wronowski (1908–1944) was a Polish painter associated with the artistic community of Greater Poland and a representative of avant-garde trends in the art of the interwar period. He was born on June 16, 1908, in Łódź, and lived in Kalisz from 1920 onward. In 1932, he graduated from the Department of Decorative Painting at the School of Decorative Arts and Artistic Industry in Poznań. In 1934, under the guidance of Józef Mehoffer, he participated in the creation of the polychrome decoration of the church in Turek.
He was a member of the “Plastyka” Group of Greater Poland Artists, with whom he exhibited, among other places, at the Zachęta in Warsaw. In 1938, his “Self-Portrait,” presented at the annual Zachęta Salon, was honored with the National Culture Fund Award. That same year, the artist created the polychrome decorations in the sanctuary of St. Dorothy’s Church in Opatówek. His body of work also included easel paintings, decorative designs, and functional works, all in the spirit of the modern artistic trends of the era.
After the outbreak of World War II, he was displaced from Kalisz and settled in Kraków. In 1942–1943, he was imprisoned at the castle in Lublin. After his release from prison, he went to Warsaw, where he was killed in August 1944 during the Warsaw Uprising.
Works created in the village of Liśnik, located in the Lublin Voivodeship, Tarnobrzeg County, in the municipality of Gościeradów, where the artist stayed during the occupation in the early 1940s.
