Seven-masted Vessel for Transporting the Air 2020

Lech Jankowski produced this 48 by 64-centimeter work of indeterminate date, titled "Seven-masted Vessel for Transporting the Air." Here we see a murky, ethereal landscape where the earth meets the sky, punctuated by the barest suggestion of human presence: perhaps a series of lights, a distant town, or the titular vessel anchored far from any shore. Jankowski was born in Poland, which spent much of the 20th century caught between larger powers, its cultural output often reflecting the lived experience of the region’s turbulent politics. We might consider this work as representative of Poland’s place between the earthly and the sublime. It's a material reality suffused with myth and spirituality. With further research into Jankowski’s influences, and the critical reception of his work within Poland’s artistic institutions, we can better understand this painting's significance. What stories does it tell about the relationship between culture and environment?