Bakos Katalin - Manicka Anna szerk.: Párbeszéd fekete-fehérben, Lengyel és magyar grafika 1918–1939 (MNG, Warszawa–Budapest, 2009)

III. KATALÓGUS - 2. HAGYOMÁNYKERESÉS - - Hit és vallás

prohibitions. Catholic ethics has most often nothing to do with the Catholic doctrine. Catholicism as a whole is to most Polish people only a set of moral prohibitions and ritual orders. The separation of an important part of the Polish intelligentsia from Catholicism took place in the interwar period, which - among other reasons - was caused by the Polish writer and literary scholar Tadeusz BoyŻeleński, who - in his widely-read features - stigmatized the backwardness and hypocrisy of the Polish Catholic Church, especially in matters pertaining to sex. This situation is clearly visible in Polish graphic art of the period. The most common religious subjects undertaken by Polish artists are representations of the Saints and the Stations of the Cross done on commission. There is no trace of own religious experiences or any deeper reflections. Some of them consciously refer to medieval patterns, making reference to the religiousness ofthat period as to a panacea to the catastrophic visions of the fall of the Civitas Christiana. This does not change the fact that these are excellent prints, inspired mainly by folk art and old devotional graphic art. Wiktoria Corynska's engravings differ as always from the works of her friends from the "Ryt" group in an unconventional presentation and an original content. Her Madonna in the Zodiac combines religious and secular content, Madonna on a half-moon is presented against a background of a star with 11 arms with the subsequent signs of the zodiac. There are 11 arms because the sign of the Virgo is represented by the Virgin Mary in the centre of the composition. The series devoted to Joan of Arc is unique already because of the chosen subject-matter: the story of a French saint who was burnt at the stake mainly because of her wearing men's clothes, a very young girl who dared oppose kings and bishops, because she heard voices of angels. The form of the woodcuts (a silhouette delicate as lace against a black velvet background), the unconventional content and the original composition contributed to the fact that this is an example of excellent religious art and the whole series has a nearly mystical undertone. The series of "Patron Saints" by Janina Konarska is characterized by a diversified composition: the figures of the saints are accompanied by a number of side scenes, mainly with the beneficiaries; the complementary scenes do not play a hagiographical role, they rather indicate whom a given saint may help, and anyway, the representations always go together with specific clues, such as "Saint Peter Chrysologus delivers from rabies". An additional asset of the Patron Saints series is the sense of humour and imagination of the author. The series "Stations of the Cross" by Bogna Krasnodębska-Gardowska is a good example of art based on folk motifs. This series consists of hand-coloured woodcuts, outstanding in their great power of invention if it comes to the variety of textures. One can even say that in the "Stations" one can see a typically feminine taste for various patterns of fabrics: there are stripes of different sizes, crosses, flowers, zigzags, herringbone patterns and checks in the foreground, and in the background one can see black silhouettes of trees and rocks, standing out dramatically against a clear sky. Stanisław Ostoja-Chrostowski produced several Escapes to Egypt in various techniques, generally treating the subject as a compositional issue. On the other hand, the unconventional representations of the Mother of God escaping on foot, alone, with the Child in her arms are charming and evoke reflexions on the loneliness of Mary's motherhood. The Escape from 1927 shows Mary at the destination of her journey: one can see the pyramids far away. Another shows a grove with tall swaying palm trees, and Mary who seems unable to decide which way to run. II/83. ISTVÁN SZŐNYI (1894-1960) Deposition, 1921 Paper, etching; 41.5 x 50 cm Inv. No. 1923-1477