Gezicht op de Wawelkathedraal in Krakau c. 1900 - 1947

Curator: Ah, a cityscape imbued with a profound sense of history and mystery. Janina Szciamicka captured this View of Wawel Cathedral in Krakow sometime between 1900 and 1947. It's a woodcut print. Editor: It's like staring through a secret portal, a carved archway framing those majestic towers. Stark blacks and whites create such dramatic, almost ominous intensity. Gives me goosebumps. Curator: The woodcut technique certainly lends itself to that drama, doesn’t it? Notice the incredible precision, the labour, to carve away at the block, leaving these intricate lines and shapes to define the architecture. Editor: Exactly! It's not just seeing, it's about the making—each cut, each removal is a conscious choice. I imagine Szciamicka wrestling with the material, feeling the grain of the wood… Did she source her own blocks, I wonder? What kind of tools were used? The consumption of the image also starts to matter, how readily available or unique the work was. Curator: One does ponder about that... What is unveiled feels monumental, the cathedral soaring heavenward. And look at the dark framing elements—are they protective, secretive, or even imposing upon our viewing experience? Perhaps it’s the weight of history pressing down. The whole perspective seems strangely modern in contrast to what we know of medieval. Editor: It really makes me wonder who produced that wood block. It had to have been crafted from the same high-quality timber. If it came from afar, was that due to trade or conquest. The block itself is part of that grander landscape. It makes me also imagine her hands covered in ink, working perhaps in collaboration with other artisans to develop, prepare, cut or distribute... so many potential contributors that art history tends to marginalize Curator: Your interpretation unlocks a new layer, recognizing unseen collaborators. Szciamicka skillfully harnessed this medium of relief printmaking, resulting in more than just representation but rather, imbuing the essence of this majestic architectural setting and perhaps the socioeconomics behind the print's creation. It’s an awakening. Editor: The work does invite reflection, doesn't it, and I think it's from acknowledging art and it's support is a village. We are but spectators admiring its peaks, unaware of its bedrock.