Ironing 2 2021

Curator: Immediately, a quiet domesticity comes to mind. The muted palette, the subdued composition… it evokes a certain stillness. Editor: That’s certainly one way to put it. We’re looking at "Ironing 2," crafted in 2021 by Iwo Zaniewski, who works with media like oil paint and pencil in this depiction. One notes the everyday nature of the scene depicted through the Expressionist lens. How does it play into larger social narratives? Curator: Well, Expressionism provides the framework, so its social and political context becomes important. Expressionist painters in post-war Europe grappled with anxieties linked to industrialization and alienation. Zaniewski, working today, seems to be re-evaluating some of those anxieties within contemporary life through the gendered image of housework. It certainly prompts one to contemplate how this intimate act fits within broader societal expectations. Editor: It’s interesting you say that. To me, the visible marks of the pencil and oil, combined with that almost awkward positioning of the figure—the formal arrangement of forms itself communicates a certain discomfort or perhaps quiet resilience. Curator: Indeed. The aesthetic choices amplify the subject’s emotional state, maybe to express frustration but with hints of purpose too. Genre painting always gives glimpses of specific historical context, and that checked wallpaper and the woman’s clothing contribute to it. Her connection to domestic labor and her environment is unavoidable, the art and life become one. Editor: And look at how the cold light flooding through the window juxtaposes against the warm tones of the cupboard, and creates a spatial tension within the flat composition. All contribute to a feeling of confinement that visually describes some internal conflict. Curator: Right. Zaniewski presents this individual within the structured limitations of everyday life and its historical dimensions. The quotidian, made interesting. Editor: In conclusion, the arrangement, colour palette, and execution elevate the mundane, enabling us to read new relationships. Curator: Perhaps this prompts us to see routine from an interesting angle, considering the person beyond the task in today’s social settings.