Artwork
Sketch of a woman
Sketch of a woman is an oil painting by Jan Ciągliński. It dates from 1895 and is held in the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw.
About this work
Overview
Jan Ciągliński, a Polish artist who worked in St. Petersburg during the late 19th‑early 20th centuries, created the oil painting Sketch of a woman circa 1895. The work belongs to the period when Russian Impressionism was emerging, and it is now part of the National Museum’s collection in Warsaw.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas depicts a solitary female figure dressed in a light‑toned, floor‑length gown and a matching hat. She stands before a darkened background, her posture and expression suggesting a moment of introspection, as if absorbed in private thought.
Technique & Style
Ciągliński employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, juxtaposing illuminated areas of the dress and face against deep shadows behind the figure. The handling of oil paint is loose yet controlled, reflecting the fleeting brushwork typical of early Russian Impressionist experiments with light and atmosphere.
History & Provenance
After its creation in the mid‑1890s, the painting entered the holdings of the National Museum in Warsaw, where it remains on display. Its acquisition reflects the museum’s effort to represent Polish artists active abroad and to document the cross‑cultural currents of the Russian art world at the turn of the century.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Ciągliński (Polish:; Russian: Ян/Иван Францевич Ционглинский, romanized: Yan/Ivan Frantsevich Tsionglinskiy; 20 February 1858 – 6 January 1913) was a Polish painter, active in St.
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