Teodora Matejko 

Jan Matejko painted this portrait of Teodora Matejko using oil on canvas. The material qualities of oil paint are critical to how we read this image. Note its capacity for rendering the texture of Teodora’s elaborate clothing. The heavy gown and delicate veil are both given detailed attention, the artist using the qualities of the medium to enhance their individual forms. The folds, pleats and gathers of the silken gown cascade like liquid down her body, the lace veil has a delicate openness that seems to float above her head. It is an accomplished study of contrasting textures, achieved through the handling of the oil paint. The context of its making is also significant. It speaks to the consumer culture of the era, in which those who could afford to would commission such a work. In doing so, Matejko elevates what might otherwise be considered mere 'fashion' to the status of fine art, prompting us to consider the relationship between creative practice and the social world it inhabits.