Stracone gniazdo. [The lost nest]. Norwid – Szermentowski

Abstract

This article is an interpretative attempt of the forlorn drawing made by Norwid in the mid-1770s, entitled Scena symboliczna [A symbolic scene] (also known as Aniołowie smierci [Angels of Death]). The drawing relates to a painting by Józef Szermentowski, entitled Stracone gniazda [The Lost Nests] (1865), which presented a gloomy vision of a village in the region of Kielce and which was an allegory of the defeat of the Polish nation after the collapse of the January Uprising. The comparative analysis of both depictions allows pinpointing the interdependences between the two works, which shed more light on the meaning of Norwid’s highly enigmatic composition. The analysis also takes into account the personal relationship between the two artists, who came close in Szermentowski’s late days. The article pursues three potential interpretation paths, relying on the assumption that Norwid was inspired by the younger colleague’s work. Yet, none of the three is pinpointed as privileged so that, ultimately, the question of the topic of Norwid’s depiction remains open. It is observed, at the same time, that Scena symboliczna is a regular example of Norwid’s scarce plastic legacy in that it favours literary values over plastic mastery. The work shows evident tensions of senses and meanings, which cannot be either satisfactorily or satisfyingly conveyed via the drawing techniques employed by Norwid.