Maria Bal | |
---|---|
Born | Maria Brunicka 26 July 1879 |
Died | 1 January 1955 | (aged 75)
Known for | Painting |
Movement | Symbolism |
Spouse | Stanisław Bal |
Jadwiga Maria Kinga Bal (Balowa) of Zaleszczyki, née Brunicka (26 July 1879 – 1 January 1955) was a Polish baroness and a lifelong muse of Jacek Malczewski, considered Poland's national painter. She served as the live model for a series of his symbolic portrayals of women, as well as nude studies and mythological beings. Most were completed before the interwar period when Poland had not yet achieved independence.[1][2]
In the background of his models he gave shape to symbols with esoteric meanings supposed to provide keys for a psychic interpretation. Similarly, he depicted mythological and fantastical beings, which seem to be almost tamed, in landscapes that hint at links both to his childhood and maturity.