Lying nude 1917 - 1936

Zygmunt Waliszewski created this pencil drawing of a nude figure at an unknown date. The loose lines and unfinished quality of the drawing suggest it was made as a study, perhaps for a larger painting. Waliszewski was Polish, and while he traveled widely in Europe, his artistic production was rooted in the cultural and political context of early 20th century Poland, a country struggling to redefine itself after a long period of foreign domination. Art institutions such as the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts played a vital role in this process by promoting a distinctly Polish artistic identity. Here, Waliszewski shows his mastery of academic style while quietly subverting it through his unconventional composition. Historians study such images in relation to manifestos, exhibition reviews, and other documentation to build up a picture of what the artist was trying to achieve, and how the artistic establishment sought to shape and define the nation.