Beautiful artwork capturing the glory of Polish autumns
It may not feel like it yet, but with autumn having officially begun the Polish landscape will soon change as the brightness of summer fades into the richness of autumn.
This annual transformation has been immortalised by generations of Polish artists, who have captured the autumn landscape in all its glory.
Although their paintings vary in style and content – which includes fields, forests and other elements of nature – they all have a rich palette that ranges from golden ochre to deep russet, which appear to glow in the autumn light.
These classic paintings from the 1800s and 1900s show the Polish autumn at its best.
Pejzaż Jesienny by Emilia Wysocka: This painting by Emilia Wysocka (1888 – 1973) has a dark but warm ring to it, capturing a landscape caught between the heat of summer and the bleakness of winter. Its layout gives the view the impression of standing in the tall grass looking towards the trees on the horizon.
Jesień w Górach – Pejzaż z Jaremcza by Leon Wyczółkowski: This autumn landscape by Leon Wyczółkowski (1852-1936), one of the leading painters of the Young Poland movement, depicts the countryside by the town of Yaremche in the Carpathian Mountains, in what is now western Ukraine. The land is still green but the red glow on the hills gives the viewer a sense that summer has ended and that autumn has arrived.
Pejzaż Jesienny by Witkacy: This painting by writer and artist Stanisław Witkiewicz (1885-1939), known as “Witkacy”, looks more like a close-up snapshot of nature during the autumn than a traditional landscape. Featuring an eclectic mix of plants, his use of yellow and red conveys the warm autumn light.
Jesień w Karpatach by Fryderyk Pautsch: In this work, Fryderyk Pautsch (1877-1950) returns to the one of the longstanding settings for his work: the Carpathian Mountains. His hilly landscape is gently ablaze with autumnal colours: on the trees, the leaves have already turned a fiery red.
Mój Ogród – Jesień w Bystrej by Julian Fałat: Entitled “my garden”, this scene by Julian Fałat (1853-1929) was created during the period when he lived in the village of Bystra, in southern Poland. The flame-like orange leaves on the trees are a clear sign that autumn has come. Some of the branches are already bare, a reminder that winter is on its way.
Wieś Jesienią by Abraham Neumann: In this work, landscape artist Abraham Neumann (1873-1942) shows traditional country cottages nestled on a gentle hillside. The bright, soft colours, which range from rusty orange to the blue of the sky, all have a dreamy glow to them.
This article was first published in September 2020.
