Boleslaw Jan Czedekowski (1885 Wojniłów - 1969 Vienna), Mother and son, 1923.

oil, canvas, 130 × 135.5 cm light frame
Signed and dated l. d.: 1923. B. Czedekowsky.
Boleslaw Jan Czedekowski became famous as an outstanding portraitist. It was in his portraits that he found a way to convey his artistic vision. The artist immortalized on his canvases the silhouettes of prominent figures associated with the world of aristocracy, politics and art. His paintings were extremely appreciated, both by the public and art critics.
"Boleslaw Jan Czedekowski practiced a type of art so uncommon in our country that it doesn't even have a separate name. In France it is called "la peinture mondaine", this could be translated into Polish as "big world painting". The artist's subjects are beautiful ladies and elegant gentlemen, he likes refined ladies' toilets and well-cut tailcoats, exquisite poses and gestures. (...). In this world of charm and efflorescence, the artist turns with the freedom given to him by his innate feeling, supported by great refinement; he knows how to emphasize in a portrait the positive features of the model, without falling into flattery, he knows how to emphasize the elegance of the outfit, avoiding ostentation." (Waclaw Husarski, "From Zacheta," Time, No. 25, 1939, p. 6.)
Czedekowski mainly painted single portraits. However, double portraits in the painter's work are not rare. The artist repeatedly painted such compositions, including self-portraits accompanied by his wife or daughter. These paintings were unique in tone, showing the unique atmosphere of intimacy and mutual relations of the immortalized models. The double portrait, presented in the auction offer, is dated 1923 by the artist. Thus, it was most likely created in Paris, where the artist had his atelier at Avenue de Breteuil 63. The canvas shows a portrait of a woman and a young boy. A kind of break from the official character, so common in portrait painting, can be seen here. The composition is casual, the poses of the models are natural, unforced. The mother, a dark-haired, elegant woman, wearing a delicate yellowish-gold dress with open shoulders, in a caring gesture gently embraces the little boy, dressed in a black uniform with a white spread collar. You can also see the tender gesture of the entwined hands of the portrayed. The artist has built up the whole picture with softly painted strokes of paint. The color palette of the painting is kept in warm hues; the background does not overwhelm the pair of models