Objects

Do umarłej (To the Deceased) (III) – unpublished version

Siemaszko, Olga (1911-2000)

Contour drawing in black pen depicting, amongst other things, a lamp, an open notebook (?) and an inkwell with pen. This is probably a depiction of Władysław Broniewski's desk, on which also lie funeral flowers after the death of his wife, Maria Zarębińska-Broniewska. A version of the drawing not selected by Olga Siemaszko for publication on the spread pages (on the righ, odd page) as an illustration for Broniewski's poem "Do umarłej" (To the Deceased). A related version of this work, which was printed in the book "Ręka umarłej" (Hand of a Deceased), appears on page 127 (a poem with an illustration is printed on the adjacent left page to complement the illustration on the right).

The writing attributes shown in the drawing relate to the poem's autothematic theme, including the verses:

"to her [wife] –

no! not only to her –

I write letters,

as Cyprian Kamil [Norwid] wrote:

"...I write an artist's diary,

gnawed and bent into myself,

maddening, but very real".

The smoke from the lamp shade can be read as an indirect reference to the smoke rising from crematoria of death camps.

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-M1646
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.