42.0 x 22.0 cm - bronze, base: marble cast bronze, patinated, marble, 42 x 22 x 31 cm
Signed on the base: Olga Niewska 1927.
Exhibited at:
- Olympic Art and Literature Competition, City Museum, Amsterdam, 12 June - 12 August 1928.
Literature:
- Concours et exposition d'art olympique. Catalogue de l'exposition au Musée municipal d'Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1928, cat. no. 565 [as Le Tireur];
- "The Rifleman" - sculpture by Olga Niewska, 1927, view of the sculpture from behind [awarded the Prize of the Minister of the Interior], photograph, National Museum in Warsaw, inv. no. DI 92431/192 MNW;
- "Rifleman," sculpture by Olga Niewska, 1927. [awarded the Prize of the Minister of the Interior], photograph, National Museum in W-wie, inv. no. DI 92431/193 MNW;
- Wojciech Przybyszewski, Olga Niewska. Beauty behind the curtain of oblivion, DW Rebis, Poznań 2001, pp. 91-92 and il. 45.
The field in which Niewska was quickest to win critical and public acclaim soon after her return from Paris was sports sculpture. At first, her runners, shooters, skiers, hockey players, archers, discus players, shot putters, swimmers, equestrians and many, many other athletes were seen (usually in plaster versions) at art exhibitions. Later, some of these sculptures (already in the form of bronze statuettes intended as prizes in sports competitions) found their way onto sports fields and halls throughout Poland.
Wojciech Przybyszewski, Olga Niewska..., op. cit. p. 91.
In the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw there are preserved photographs from the author's archive of the figures she made with her annotations. Two of the photos show the offered Sagittarius (front and back view). From the description of the photo it is known that the sculpture was commissioned as a prize figure by Felicjan Slawoj Składkowski, Minister of Internal Affairs. The sculpture was presented at an exhibition of Polish art, held as a side event during the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.
Olga Niewska (Kharkov 1898 - Warsaw 1943) is a sculptor. After studying at a painting school in Kiev, she studied under Konstanty Laszczka at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow (1919-23). In 1926-28 she continued her studies in Paris in the famous studio of Emile Antoine Bourdelle. While still studying at the Krakow academy, she was awarded the PAU Prize from the Feliks Jasieński Foundation (1922). After her studies, she settled in Warsaw, where she had a studio at 1 Zakroczymska Street.
She made her debut at TPSP in Krakow in 1920 with a solo exhibition, gaining considerable critical acclaim. Later she exhibited mainly in Warsaw, including at the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts (almost annually in 1921-30, including a solo exhibition in 1923, and in 1939) and at the Institute for Art Propaganda (annually in 1931-38), but also, among others, in Poznań in 1929 at the General National Exhibition, where she received a diploma of recognition. She also participated in exhibitions abroad, including the famous Art and Technology Exhibition in Paris in 1937, where she was honored with a gold medal.
The artist's work is divided into three periods. In the earliest - she was influenced by Laszczka and Dunikowski. After studying in Paris, she strengthened her sense of mass and tectonics, aiming for monumentalism. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, her aspirations towards the decorative arrangement of planes and her search for elegance and exquisite line came to a head. A significant place in Niewska's oeuvre is occupied by portrait sculpture - images of political, cultural and sports personalities, as well as relatives and friends. She also took up sports themes, creating both sculptures and numerous award statues and cups. She also cultivated animalistic sculpture and compositions with mythological, allegorical and religious themes.
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