Objects

Ballada (Ballad) – unpublished version (I)

Siemaszko, Olga (1911-2000)

A representation of a woman and children who lost their lives during the Second World War. The woman is styled as a Christian representation of an angel. The arrangement of her body, as well as that of the children below, seems to suggest floating in the air.

This is one version – not used in the book "Ręka umarłej" (Hand of a Deceased) – of an illustration for Władysław Broniewski's poem "Ballada" (Ballad), which has the form of a farewell dialogue between a wife and husband. The husband addresses his deceased wife: "'Your children, no names to declare, Coffinless, too, in their deep despair. I will not disturb their earthly rest, Let them grow in my legend's nest. In the next verse, the wife replies: "When they bloom in your tale's décor, You will dig graves, come spring once more".

This drawing differs from the version published in the volume in several minor details, including the absence of the child's fingers on the woman's neck, her fingers on the child's body are drawn slightly differently, and the line of the child's toes on the lower right is not closed. Cf. object MPOLIN-M1624.


Przemysław Kaniecki

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Information about the object
Author / creator
Siemaszko, Olga (1911-2000)
Object type
drawing
Time of creation / dating
20th century
Place of creation
Warszawa (mazovian province)
Technique
drawn
Material
paper
ink
Keywords
Copyright status
contact the Museum
Owner
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews
Identification number
MPOLIN-M1623
Localization
The object is not currently on display
The purchase of work for the POLIN Museum's collection was subsidized by funds from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Fund for Promotion of Culture - a state purpose fund, program: National Collection of Contemporary Art.