Patterned Iterior 

Iwo Zaniewski painted this piece, “Patterned Interior”, date unknown. It is an oil on canvas, and it presents a nude figure seated in a flower-patterned chair. The work, made by a Polish artist, could be seen as an exercise in the display of commodities and wealth, particularly in a country that, during the artist's lifetime, was under Communist rule. The nude is surrounded by patterns on patterns, each competing for the viewer's attention. The nude figure, which is a classic subject matter of painting, competes with the other objects in the painting, and is almost relegated to the position of one more object, one more piece of ornament. We can see that this is a painting deeply concerned with the way images are perceived, and it can prompt us to consider the complex social and political factors involved in the production and interpretation of art. Investigating the cultural context in which this painting was made allows us to understand art as a dynamic force, shaped by and reacting to its social and institutional surroundings.