Wladyslaw Alojzy JAHL (1886-1953)
"Sabbath Scene", 1945
Technique: oil on cardboard
Dimensions: in st p-p. 26 × 34 cm, 40 × 48 cm (with frame)
Signature: signed in lower right corner: Jahl
On the reverse: countersigned and dated: Jahl 1945
Condition: good (minor rubbing, cracks visible in parts of impasto)
Wladyslaw Jahl's dark and expressive "Sabbath Scene" is an exceptional example of his fascination with the fantastic, fairy-tale and occult world, present in his mature work. The painting shows a mysterious gathering of figures - with a female figure in the center, a blazing bonfire, winged creatures and shadows resembling ghosts or participants in a ritual.
The color palette has been limited to warm browns, oranges and reds, enhancing the sense of eeriness and trance-like quality of the scene. Traces of expressionist brushstrokes and technical freedom bring this composition closer to symbolic and visionary painting.
The painting was created in 1945, towards the end of the artist's life, when he had already settled in Paris - a testimony to Jahl's personal spiritual exploration and strong visual imagination.
Wladyslaw Adam Alojzy Jahl (1886-1953) - Polish painter, graphic artist, stage designer, associated with École de Paris.
He studied law at Lviv University and art history at Jagiellonian University. From 1912 to 1914 he studied in Paris at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, then - during World War I - went to Spain, where from 1917 he studied under Jozef Pankiewicz. In 1918, he participated in a painting exhibition in Madrid.
From 1920 he permanently settled in Paris, where he rotated in the École de Paris milieu. He lived with Moïse Kisling, among others, and was closely associated with Mela Muter, with whom he shared a studio after the war. He participated in the most important Paris salons: The Autumn Salon, the Salon des Independents and an exhibition at the Musée des Arts décoratifs (1919). He also exhibited in New York and Poland.
In 1935, he co-founded the Paris Group of Polish Artists. He regularly returned to Spain, where he was, among other things, set designer of the Odeon Theater in Madrid and graphic editor of several art magazines. His work shows the influence of ultraism, expressionism and symbolism.
During World War II, he stayed in the French Voiron near Grenoble. During this time, much of his oeuvre was lost, left in his Paris studio. After the war, in 1947-1948, he used the atelier of Mela Muter.
His paintings combine expression with symbolic reflection, often taking on subjects with a spiritual, visionary or metaphorical dimension.
He died in 1953 in Paris. He was buried in the Montrouge cemetery.
