Author: Teodor Axentowicz
Title: The Feast of Jordan
Technique: pastel, paper glued on cardboard
Dimensions: 65 x 49.5 cm
Dimensions with frame: 70 x 54.5 cm
Signed p.d.: "T. Axentowicz"
Work description:
Hutsul themes repeatedly appeared in the paintings of Teodor Axentowicz. The artist in these semi-ethnographic compositions tried to include complex symbolic content about the passing of time and the essence of life.
The featured painting shows a scene related to the rituals of the Polish Hutsuls - the Feast of the Jordan. It is an Orthodox ceremony associated with the celebration of Epiphany Day, and its key element is the consecration of water in memory of Christ's baptism. The water during the rite symbolically transforms into a source of new life.
The girl shown in the foreground carries a vessel that will be used to scoop up the consecrated water. The figure in the background holds a candle in her hand, another important item taken by the faithful to celebrate the feast. The painting was constructed by Teodor Axentowicz using fluid and expressive lines that bring out the shapes of the figures and delicately outline the landscape and surroundings. The entire composition is extremely picturesque and filled with a mood of melancholy. It perfectly captures the character of the Hutsul countryside and sincere peasant religiosity.
Biography of Teodor Axentowicz is available on the website of Krakow Auction House [SEE].
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