Objects

Pacanowski's collection of scenographic designs from 1949-1951 made for the Jewish stage, includes 26 drawings and watercolours (MPOLIN-M1141-MPOLIN-M1166). The State Jewish Theatre in Łódź was established in November 1949 by merging two theatres: the Lower Silesian Jewish Theatre based in Wrocław and the Jewish Theatre in Łódź. Ida Kamińska became the theatre's director and artistic manager. Despite the formal merger, two autonomous artistic companies were maintained in both cities. The Theatre in Łódź shared its stage with the New Theatre at 15 Więckowskiego Street. In 1955, the Theatre was moved to Warsaw, where it has been operating ever since as the Estera Rachel and Ida Kamińska State Jewish Theatre (see: http://www.teatr-zydowski.art.pl/teatr/historia, accessed 8.11.2021).

Bolesław (Beniamin) Pacanowski designed sets both for the Lower Silesian Jewish Theatre in Wrocław, e.g. for the play Hamans mapole [Haman's Defeat] by Chaim Sloves, directed by Yitzhak Grudberg-Turkov (premiere 7 December 1949), as well as for the Jewish State Theatre in Łódź (see https://encyklopediateatru.pl//osoby/53479/bencjan-pacanowski, accessed 8.11.2021). It can be assumed that most of the designs were created for the Łódź productions. Pacanowski, together with Aleksander Bogen, created the set design for a performance consisting of three one-act plays by Sholem Aleichem Yakenhuz. Ojlem habo, Mensz [Wieczór Szołem Alejchemowski; Sholem Aleichem Evening] directed by Ida Kamińska (premiere on 4 March 1950). For the scenic composition based on the texts of Icchok Lejb Peretz Amol iz gewen [There Once Was], directed by Natan Meisler, he prepared the scenery himself (premiere 24 November 1951) (see Almanach sceny polskiej 1949/50 [The Almanac of the Polish scene 1949/50] and Almanach sceny polskiej 1950/51 [The Almanac of the Polish scene 1950/51] .

The dominant realism of his designs, the faithful depiction of the details of interiors and the shapes of objects, not only demonstrated Pacanowski's own artistic taste, but also reflected the Socialist Realist doctrine that was in force in the visual arts, literature and theatre between 1949 and 1956.

Renata Piątkowska