Wacław Szymanowski (1859–1930)

I sometimes find myself thinking that the paintings by Wacław Szymanowski (1859–1930) could be regarded as works belonging to the Wierusz-Kowalski family. After all, a wife’s brother – a brother-in-law – is family. There is no doubt that Alfred and Wacław, despite their 10-year age difference, discussed art. There was a great deal happening in painting during the final decades of the nineteenth century, and the differences between the two artists’ work are significant. These were entirely different eras, and the artists themselves were also very different.

Very soon, this monumental landscape by Wacław Szymanowski will hang in the Regional Museum in Suwałki, not so much in the shadow of, but rather alongside, the works of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski.

Wacław Szymanowski, Autumn Landscape [Landscape with Chestnut Trees], oil on canvas, 79.5 x 99 cm. with chestnut trees