Artwork
Breton Woman (Version II)
Breton Woman (Version II) is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Olga Boznańska. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the National Museum in Kraków.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a Breton woman positioned near a window, with a church building visible in the background.
The painting depicts a Breton woman positioned near a window, with a church building visible in the background. This arrangement places the figure within a specific regional and cultural context, linking her to the distinctive Breton identity and its strong Catholic traditions. The window serves as a framing device that connects the interior domestic space with the exterior world, while the church underscores the deep religious character of Brittany.
The woman's portrayal as a regional type rather than an individual sitter reflects the broader 19th-century artistic interest in ethnographic and folk subjects, particularly the romanticized view of Brittany as a preserve of authentic, traditional culture.
Technique & Style
Breton Woman (Version II), created in 1890 by Olga Boznańska, is executed in oil paint on canvas. The work measures 53 cm in height and 42 cm in width. Classified as a portrait, the painting depicts a woman situated near a window with a church building visible in the background.
The composition relies on the artist's handling of oil media to render the figure and architectural elements within the frame.
History & Provenance
Olga Boznańska created the oil painting Breton Woman (Version II) in 1890. Executed on canvas, the work measures 53 cm in height and 42 cm in width. The piece depicts a woman situated near a window with a church building visible in the background.
Currently, the painting is held in the collection of the National Museum in Kraków, where it remains located.
Context
Olga Boznańska's 1890 oil on canvas titled Breton Woman (Version II) is classified as a portrait within the broader tradition of European portraiture. The work depicts a woman positioned before a window that frames a church, a composition interpreted as reflecting both personal and cultural narratives of the Breton region. Its formal qualities and symbolic content have been discussed in scholarly analyses of Boznańska's exploration of identity and place, situating the painting within her mature period and the evolving discourse on regional representation in late 19th-century art.
Overview
Olga Boznańska’s 1896 oil painting titled Breton Woman (Version II) presents a solitary figure seated beside a window that opens onto a distant church and surrounding architecture. The work is part of the collection of the National Museum in Kraków, where it is displayed among the museum’s late‑19th‑century European paintings.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Olga Boznańska (15 April 1865 – 26 October 1940) was a Polish painter who was stylistically associated with the French impressionism, though she rejected this label.
