Anna Szpakowska-Kujawska (1931), Demon of Womanhood, oil painting on canvas, 80x80 cm, 1979/1980
Artwork information: Anna Szpakowska-Kujawska (1931), Demon of Womanhood, oil painting on canvas, 80x80 cm, 1979/1980, right bottom: signature, 1980 Anna Szpakowska-Kujawska, back: Demon of Womanhood 1979, oil painting on canvas. Very good condition. Surrealistic composition on a circular plan in the background of a square painting. Usually painting compositions inscribed in a circle or ellipse convey movement (e.g., J.Malczewski'sWrong Circle ). Also in this work by the artist, the composition is dynamic, and the individual forms of the representation built on the basis of the arc, convey the sensuality and softness of the female body. Realistic fragments build a sensual atmosphere, the story, abstract in its essence, is shrouded in mystery, which is emphasized by the gesture of obscuring the lips with the index finger. Pastel colors emphasize the mood of joy and sensual intoxication. The painting was created during the artist's stay in Africa in 1977-1984 and has two dates front right bottom :1980, back:1979.
Anna Szpakowska-Kujawska (1931) received her diploma from the Wroclaw State Higher School of Fine Arts (now the Academy of Fine Arts) in 1956. Since 1961 she was a member of the Wroclaw School (later Wroclaw Group), which brought together the most outstanding young artists in Wroclaw, most of them students from Prof. E. Geppert's studio. In 1968, the artist presented works from her "Atoms" series at the legendary "Under the Mona Lisa" gallery in Wroclaw, run by Jerzy Ludwinski. She was a participant in the Wrocław '70 Art Symposium, as an artist and co-organizer in Marian Bogusz's team. From 1977 to 1984 she lived in Nigeria, where she taught painting and drawing at the Kwara College of Education in Illorin. Her stay in Africa, as well as numerous other trips, had a great impact on the artist's work, resulting in successive series of works. Versatile in her use of materials and forms of work, she expresses herself in drawing, painting, reliefs, sculptures, objects and spatial installations, using natural materials (calabashes, plant fragments), ceramic techniques and her own techniques. Her painting and other forms fall into several currents of contemporary art from expressionism and magic realism to painterly conceptual forms. It is noteworthy that the expressionism and surrealism in the artist's works stem from the intellectual subjugation of emotions and awareness of the creative process. The artist's works can be found in museum collections including the National Museum in Wroclaw, the Art Museum in Lodz, as well as in private collections at home and abroad.
