Flowers for Marianna

Leonard Tomaszewski
Polish 1913 – 2002

Leonard Tomaszewski was a Polish painter, poet and journalist. He studied painting at the National Academy of Fine Arts from 1948-50. In 1951 Tomaszewski was granted the right to practice as an artist by the Minister of Art & Culture.

Tomaszewski worked predominantly in oil and painted a range of subjects. His portfolio encompasses portraiture, nudes, landscapes as well as still life. His style was seen as very individual though he remained faithful to traditional rules of drawing and composition.

Tomaszewski harmoniously juxtaposed wide planes of uniform colour, adding outlines to emphasise certain detail. He placed precedence on the material qualities of the painting, primarily colour and texture, over convincingly rendering depth. Using a subdued palette of greys, blues and pinks, he applied the paint impasto onto heavy-weave canvas. This resulted in him attaining a highly textured and glossy surface.

Flowers for Marianna reflects these concerns. Tomaszewski has built upon two planes of grey and green. He simulates depth by building up the paint in the foreground and outlining objects to make them appear more defined. He has also used brighter colour for the fruit and flowers in the fore to further the illusion.

The focus, however, remains on the painting’s surface and aesthetic qualities. Flowers for Marianna clearly demonstrates Tomaszewski’s talent in combining colour and texture to create a unique and pleasing painting.