Meeting the Sea

A real treat for maritime art lovers – from May 29 the exhibition: “Meeting the Sea” – the 7th from the series “Polish Artists about the Sea” is on show in Granaries at Olowianka Island. The exhibition presents works of the founder of the Polish Marine Painters Circle – Włodzimierz Nałęcz as well as its most outstanding members: Wojciech Weiss, Franciszek Szwoch, Wacław Zaboklicki and Emil Lindeman.

The exhibition is devoted to the group of artists who took part in activities of the Polish Marine Painters Circle formed within the Polish Artistic Society in 1922. The Circle was founded on the initiative of Włodzimierz Nałęcz – an artist and social activist dedicated to promoting maritime subjects. The main forms of the Polish Marine Painters Circle’s activities were exhibitions at Warsaw Zachęta and other exhibition centres across Poland. The overwhelming enthusiasm for the newly regained sea prompted many artists of different stylistic backgrounds to join the Circle’s exhibitions – from traditional realistic painters as Franciszek Szwoch to adherents of modern trends such as Wojciech Weiss.

The subjects of paintings on show include seascapes, particularly from the vicinity of the Włodzimierz Nałęcz summer studio in Lisi Jar near Rozewie, port and harbour views – Władysławowo views in particular – genre scenes from fishermen life. Seascapes from other regions of Europe – Italy, Brittany and even Spitsbergen – are also on show. Among the exhibited paintings there are some related to events from Polish maritime history, among others the battle of Oliwa that took place on 28 November 1627.

The exhibited paintings come from private collections – the collection of Franciszek Szwoch’s family among them – the PMM and other Polish museums collections. As in previous years the exhibition is complimented by a catalogue published by the PMM.

“Meeting the Sea”
The Granaries 29.05.2009 -6.09.2009