Artwork
Morning star
Morning star is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Franciszek Żmurko. It dates from 1900 and is held in the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject is identified as the Morning Star, a symbolic motif often associated with guidance or divine light in art historical interpretation.
The painting Morning star depicts a celestial reference within an allegorical composition by Polish artist Franciszek Żmurko. The subject is identified as the Morning Star, a symbolic motif often associated with guidance or divine light in art historical interpretation. Executed in oil on canvas in 1898, the work measures 280 cm by 503 cm and belongs to the genre of allegorical painting.
It is housed in the National Museum in Warsaw, where it is part of the institution’s collection of genre and symbolic artworks.
The iconography of the Morning Star in this context aligns with broader symbolic traditions in European art, where the motif conveys spiritual or moral illumination. Żmurko’s use of the celestial body within a genre scene reflects a synthesis of naturalistic detail and allegorical meaning characteristic of late 19th-century Polish painting. The work’s formal qualities and symbolic content contribute to its significance within the artist’s oeuvre and the broader cultural context of Poland’s artistic nationalism.
Technique & Style
Morning star is an oil painting executed on canvas, a combination of materials that supports its large-scale format. The work measures 280 cm in height and 503 cm in width, making it a substantial composition suited to its allegorical and genre character.
Stylistically, the painting operates within the genre art tradition, blending allegory with everyday subject matter. The use of oil paint allows for the layered handling typical of late nineteenth-century academic practice, though specific brushwork details are not documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Morning Star was painted by Franciszek Żmurko in 1898. The oil-on-canvas work is now held in the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw, where it remains on view. No information about its commission or earlier ownership chain is provided in the available sources.
Franciszek Żmurko's painting Morning Star, created in 1898, is held in the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw. The work is an oil on canvas piece measuring 280 cm in height and 503 cm in width.
The provided sources do not contain specific inventory or accession numbers for this artwork, nor do they record any exhibition history. Consequently, details regarding its display record or catalog identifiers cannot be included based on the available information.
Overview
Franciszek Żmurko's 'Morning Star' is an oil painting completed in 1900. It is part of the National Museum in Warsaw's collection.
Artist & collection
Artist
Franciszek Żmurko (18 July 1859, Lviv – 9 October 1910, Warsaw) was a Polish realist painter.
