Portrait of Mrs and Mr Smogorzewski 1914

Olga Boznanska, a Polish artist working mainly in France, painted this portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Smogorzewski. The painting embodies the late 19th-century trend of artists taking a critical view of social conventions. Note how the subjects appear engulfed in shadow, their faces rendered with an almost haunting vagueness. The loose brushwork and muted palette suggest a psychological unease, perhaps a commentary on the stifling nature of bourgeois marriage. Boznanska, herself unmarried, often explored themes of isolation and alienation in her work. We can understand this painting better when we compare the formal conventions of academic portraiture with more experimental styles. Art historians often draw on social history to understand the artist's visual vocabulary. Understanding the social and cultural context is crucial to interpreting the deeper meanings embedded within.