Realizm i symbolika w malarstwie Feliksa Mostowicza (1947–2020) – dokumentalisty zesłańczej rzeczywistości

Abstrakt

The subject of Poles’ exile in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries is a common one in the exiles’ works as exemplified by the paintings of Feliks Mostowicz, a descendant of Poles exiled from the Żytomierz area to Kazakhstan in the years 1936–1937. His works are now part of the Sybirak Collection in the Museum of Independence in Warsaw. Mostowicz recorded the life of the Polish diaspora in exile; the realistic images are accompanied by symbolic elements whose meaning is often accessible only to Poles. This symbolism is an important theme in Mostowicz’s work as it reflects the artist’s inner world. He uses multiple symbols (suitcase, ladder, well, lonely tree); the use of contrasts and shadows is also significant as they reflect his thoughts and experiences. Mostowicz’s works presents the life of an ordinary person dependent on a totalitarian regime and depicts the experiences of the exiles by transferring the image of their life into the sphere of art.