Czesław WASILEWSKI

FOUR PEOPLE PASSING THROUGH A SMALL TOWN, 1918
Oil on canvas; 49.5 x 67 cm
Signed lower left: Cz Wasilewski / 1918
Condition: very good
The painting depicts a genre scene characteristic of Czesław Wasilewski’s work, featuring a horse-drawn carriage passing through a muddy street in a small town. The artist captured the atmosphere of provincial architecture, damp air, and street traffic with great ease. The composition is enlivened by dynamically rendered horses, reflections on the wet road, and subtly diffused light, creating the mood of a late-autumn or early-spring day.
Czesław Wasilewski was one of the popular Polish painters active in the first half of the 20th century. He was a self-taught artist based in Warsaw, and his work was inspired by the paintings of Józef Brandt, Józef Chełmoński, and Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski. He gained particular popularity for his scenes featuring horse-drawn carriages, sleigh rides, hunts, and winter landscapes.
The painting on display aptly captures the artist’s characteristic style—realistic, yet at the same time painterly and atmospheric. Wasilewski often depicted everyday life in small towns and villages, focusing on movement, atmosphere, and weather effects. Particularly noteworthy here is the skillful use of a gray-brown color palette, broken up by accents of green and red, which lends the scene authenticity and depth.
Starting price: 15,000
Estimated value: 18,000–20,000. Inquire about this item