Painting by Jerzego Skrebeca, Gdansk, date unknown
oil and pencil on wood, Various Artists, 2016
Krystyna Leszowska Sitek and Elzbieta Komarnicka Medra are two women who run an art gallery – Galeria Sztuki – in the centre of Gdansk. On our first evening in Gdansk we meet Elzbieta, a colourful woman who unfortunately is not able to explain much to us about the gallery because she doesn’t speak English or German. But she invited us to come back the next day to meet her colleague who speaks some German.
When we return the next day, Krystyna is expecting us and is thrilled to meet us and give us some information. She and Elzbieta recently moved their gallery to a new location within Gdansk for the third time.
They used to have a small space across the street. Before that, their first space was located closer to the city’s historic centre, on Piwna street.
For many years the two women lived together with the late famous painter Frydych, who is prominently represented in the gallery. The painter, who was also a professor at the academy, inspired them as both a personal friend and mentor.
With a good eye, and some self-education, the two ladies have gathered quite an impressive collection. They enjoy their work and speak passionately about old as well as new artists.
The tiny painting Various Artists bought is by Jerzego Skrebeca, a master painter from Gdansk who died in 1998. His work is realistic and romantic, and draws attention because of the fascinating vagueness of the image. As Krystyna said in German: ‘nicht wie ein Foto’. The painting was part of the collection of a collector from Poland, who assembled exhibitions with art from his collection in the so-called salons (as described on the back of the painting with BWA).
The theme of the painting is ‘die Wolke’, as Krystyna was so kind to look up in her dictionary.
Zaświadcza się, że obraz olejny na płycie pt. 'Chmury' o wymiarach 13 x 17 jest oryginałem. Został wykonany przez artyste malarza Jerzego Skrebeca. Sygnatura w prawym dolnym rogu obrazu - J Skrebec.
Certify that the oil painting on the album Fri. ‘Clouds’ of 13 x 17 is the original. It was made by the artist painter George Skrebeca. Signature in the lower right corner of the image - J Skrebec . (google translation)
- seuropa.ke (painting by Jerzego Skrebeca, Gdansk, date unknown)
- seuropa.k.re worked by innumerat
- seuropa.k.za worked by Morice de Lisle
- seuropa.k.hey worked by Sufferice