STANISŁAW
BOHUSZ-SIESTRZEŃCEWICZ

(1869–1927)

The realisation of the presentation funded
as part of the programme EU Interreg Lietuva-Polska
Project: LT-PL-5R-389

Stanisław Bohusz-Siestrzeńcewicz was an excellent portraitist. Through the girl’s portrait, who is turning from a child to a lady, he showed the artistry of his craftsmanship, his talent and sensitivity. With barely a few delicate lines and a play of plain surface of paper he showed an adolescent girl. The subtle, fluid and easily drawn line of the hair is tinted with apricot watercolour which varies in tone. Her eyes, lips and nose are drawn with a few short lines and touches of the brush. The portrait, which is light in colour, is optically defined by the ribbon of the bow. Its character and materiality is achieved with the help of the shadow behind the right arm. The work is monochromatic. The prevailing colour is the black of the pencil line and the washed out colour of light orange which is weakly saturated and tonally differentiated. An important role is played by the colour and the texture of the paper on which the work was created.
The artist willingly portrayed his friends and their children. The images were intimate, warm and kind to the portrayed models. He styled them and idealised them. The author used a pencil which was often subtly coloured with watercolour and pastel. Years spent in the studios of the Petersburg academy had taught him drawing proficiency, a skill to capture not only the physical likeness but also model’s individuality.
Anna Minkiewicz was a daughter of Michał Minkiewicz (1858-1943), a co-founder of the "Ach!" cabaret (the author of the script), a medical doctor, editor of a monthly magazine Vilnius Doctor and a person of many talents and interests.