Portrait of Adam Nowina Boznański, Artist’s Father c. 1903

Olga Boznanska painted this portrait of her father, Adam Nowina Boznański, with oil on canvas, although the date remains unknown. Boznanska came from Poland, a nation partitioned and struggling for sovereignty. The portrait subtly captures her father’s identity as an intellectual, and also perhaps as a figure of national strength. His beard, a symbol of wisdom, anchors his presence. Yet, there’s a fragility in the brushstrokes, a certain softness that invites empathy. Adam, a railway engineer, supported Olga's artistic ambitions, a rare encouragement for women artists at the time. Boznanska refused to marry and dedicated her life to painting. This portrait is not just a rendering of a man, but a complex layering of familial respect, cultural identity, and gendered experience, reflecting Boznanska's position as a woman in a male-dominated art world.