Pietà was painted by Wiktorya J. Gorynska in 1929.

Where can I see Pietà?

Pietà is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

Can I buy a print of Pietà?

Museum-quality prints of Pietà are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Pietà

Wiktorya J. Gorynska , 1929

Pietà is a print by Wiktorya J. Gorynska. It dates from 1929 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Accession no.: 1935.125
Credit line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm L. McBride

About this work

Overview

Wiktorya Gorynska’s twentieth‑century print titled Pietà presents a grieving mother cradling her deceased child. The image conveys deep sorrow through a compact arrangement that echoes the emotional intensity of earlier religious works, while employing a visual language characteristic of modernist printmaking.

Subject & Meaning

The central figures are the Virgin Mary and the infant, embodying the biblical theme of loss and devotion. To the left, a kneeling Saint John the Evangelist offers a silent witness, reinforcing the narrative of shared mourning within the Christian tradition.

Technique & Style

Gorynska reduces the scene to flattened planes and simplified contours, abandoning the illusion of depth for a more abstract presentation. A distinctive striped shroud drapes the child, and the overall composition relies on stark contrasts rather than the gradual tonal transitions associated with sfumato.

History & Provenance

Created in the twentieth century, the print reflects a broader trend among contemporary artists who revisited Renaissance motifs to articulate personal religious sentiment. Its compositional reference to Michelangelo’s 1498 Pietà situates the work within a lineage of reinterpretations that bridge historic sculpture and modern graphic art.