Stefan Gogolewski (1897 Gorzkowice -), Fleeting tone, 1926.

oil, canvas, 120 × 105 cm
Signed and dated p. d.: "St.Gogolewski/1926"

Stefan Gogolewski is one of the names being rediscovered on the art market, and his work, saturated with symbolism, intrigues and provokes the viewer to weave his own meandering interpretations. Not much information has survived on the artist, so Gogolewski appears as a somewhat mysterious figure. Key to learning about his biography are the application stored in the archives of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw with a request for inclusion as a student of the State School of Fine Arts dated 7.12.1922, written as an attachment to a letter of intent curriculum viatae, and certificates from military service. Analyzing his work from a formal point of view and taking into account the period when Gogolewski enrolled at the school as a regular student, one can come to the conclusion of connections with the founding of the Vilnius Society of Artists (founded 1920) and the Brotherhood of St. Luke (founded 1925). Although the artist's name does not appear in the lists of members of the two groups mentioned above, it is highly likely that he sympathized with these associations, moved in similar circles and may have participated in the open-air workshops in Kazimierz Dolny organized by Tadeusz Pruszkowski.

The painting offered at auction is imbued with an aura of mystery, full of symbolic connotations. Gogolewski invites the viewer to analyze the work on many levels. In the foreground, the artist has placed the figure of a man playing a melody on a harp, and it is his silhouette that first draws the eye, although in the center of the composition is a bird enveloped in splendor resting on the boy's outstretched hand. The figures are accompanied by two women and a cathartist with an instrument toppled at his feet. Nearby lie scattered cards, while by the stairs the artist has painted a clay jug. All the figures seem to enter into some special dialogue with each other, which needs to be deciphered. Undoubtedly, this is a work with a complex narrative that engages the viewer in deeper reflection.