Olga Boznańska and Marian Morelowski Read Michel Foucault

Abstract

Michel Foucault, in his famous 1971 lecture concerning Edward Manet’s paintings, focused on three problems: the space of the painting, the lighting and the position of the viewer. At the beginning of the 1890s, i.e. at the beginning of Olga Boznańska’s creative path, the connection between the paintings of the young Polish artist and the works of Manet had already been noticed. A clear concentration on problems which Foucault pointed out in Manet was observed in her paintings precisely at this time. This fascination with Manet faded in a later period; nonetheless the infl uence of the French artist was an important experience in Boznańska’s development of her unique and individual style. Boznańska’s paintings, created under the infl uence of Manet, represent a clear stage in the development of her own creativity.