Woodcut, paper; size: 86 x 104 mm; signed in pencil p.d.: W. Podoski 1951.
Still Life by Wiktor Podoski, 1951, is a small but very distinctive woodcut showing a synthetically framed arrangement of dishes and objects on a table. The composition has a horizontal arrangement, enclosed by a rectangular frame, and the center of the image is filled by an oval field with set dishes and small still life elements. Podoski builds the representation from dense, rhythmic arrangements of lines and trusses, which creates an effect that is both decorative and structural. The title is traditional, but the formal solution - no longer. Podoski clearly simplifies the shapes of vessels and objects to signs, and treats the background almost as an autonomous ornament.
