Bananas, Lilacs and Reading Woman 

Iwo Zaniewski's painting presents us with a still life and a figure, elements arranged with an almost dreamlike quality. The lilacs, those clusters of delicate purple blooms, are particularly evocative. Lilacs have long symbolized love and renewal. They are a reminder of the cyclical nature of life. The image of a woman reading is a recurring motif throughout art history. She is a 'Mneme', the Greek goddess of memory. Mneme embodied the act of remembering, linking the present to the past. Consider how the act of reading, depicted here, resonates with this concept. The reader engages with the text, drawing upon collective knowledge and personal experiences. She is a timeless figure, embodying the power of knowledge and reflection, echoing through time. Note how these symbols—lilacs and Mneme—carry emotional weight across time, engaging us on a subconscious level. Their reappearance connects us to our cultural memory. These symbols are not fixed but are continuously reinterpreted. Zaniewski invites us to reflect on the cyclical nature of symbols and their enduring influence on our collective consciousness.