Portrait of a Polish Maiden. London, 1940.

SZYK, Arthur. Portrait of a Polish Maiden. Signed and Dated, “Arthur Szyk London: 1940”. Watercolor and gouache on paper. Sheet size: 8 3/4″ x 5 1/2″. Image size: 8″ x 3 3/4″. Some age-toning to paper, otherwise Very Good condition.

While continuing to produce an impressive outlay of political caricatures illustrating the madness of the war, Arthur Szyk was also occupied with creating images of the vanishing European world that he had known, in part, as a child growing up in Poland. Newspapers and magazines of the day used many of these illustrations for both public service announcements and advertisements. The images of Old Europe produced during this time bear a sorrow that lingers in the viewer’s mind.

The young blonde girl of Szyk’s painting is carrying her apples to market. Her face is a study in quiet softness. She is dressed for the chilly autumn weather in a fleece lined vest and matching hat. Her gaily striped dirndl skirt is worn over bright green leggings and sheep skin boots. The attention to the detail in these garments is typical of Szyk’s illuminations, which similarly and often appeared in his design of costumes for plays or theatrical productions.

Szyk was settled in London in 1937 overseeing and completing work on The Haggadah. At the same time he was involved with creating other projects, namely his Polish American Fraternity, a commission by the Polish government installed as an important feature of its pavilion at the seminal 1939 New York World’s Fair.