Biliards 

Curator: The somber mood really hits me first. This oil painting by Iwo Zaniewski, titled "Biliards", uses a muted palette that evokes a sense of loneliness. Editor: Yes, the limited color range, heavy on the dark tones, definitely contributes to that feeling. Note how the visible brushstrokes create a palpable texture across the entire surface—the walls, the pool table, the woman's dress. It's a unification of form through the consistency of materiality. Curator: And if we consider the possible readings within a broader societal framework, that loneliness could resonate with experiences of marginalized communities. Who has access to leisure, to recreation? The artist captures the quiet desperation felt by those left on the periphery. Look at how the figure is sidelined. Editor: The composition does create that sense of isolation, it is true. Observe the way the scene is structured. There are many horizontal lines and also verticals in the scene - the lines on the billiard table, those dark drapes in the back. However, notice that this rhythm is interrupted by the diagonal of the seated figure and that small foot appearing from under the black dress, she’s elegant. Semiotically, these disrupting diagonals may add dynamism to an otherwise still scene. Curator: This image resonates deeply with feelings of melancholic repose in a specific urban landscape that is occupied by a person reflecting on being watched or unseen by those surrounding the activity in the scene. In many societies, this experience is a symptom of those relegated to a secondary social class. It suggests the weight of societal expectation and how it plays out in a simple billiards scene. The gaze of the figure out of the space suggests a will to occupy spaces she does not, a reaching across divisions, longing, even. Editor: You interpret this artwork through an entirely valid and socially minded perspective. For me, I appreciate how Zaniewski deploys pictorial elements to evoke profound feelings—a lesson in the power of formal composition and skillful painting. The figure has not even a hint of a face! Yet the image tells such an incredible story. Curator: Exactly. Stories aren’t merely visual constructs. Editor: A haunting encounter for sure, through both its technical construction and contextual framework.