Feliks Jasieński Przy Fortepianie 1908

Józef Pankiewicz painted this portrait of Feliks Jasieński at an unknown date using oil on canvas. Look at the wall behind Jasieński, you can see that the artist’s brushstrokes are loose and free. The colors are blended and blurred, almost like a memory fading. The piano in the foreground is painted with much thicker paint, and the wood is so shiny you can see Jasieński’s reflection, it creates an intimate yet distant mood. Pankiewicz is interested in how light interacts with surfaces, almost like he's painting how we see, rather than what we see. The texture of the damask cloth, on the right, is a flurry of blues and greens, creating a sense of movement and life. Pankiewicz reminds me a little bit of Vuillard, the way he captures domestic interiors and everyday moments, but with an added layer of psychological depth. For Pankiewicz painting isn’t just about capturing a likeness; it’s about capturing a feeling.