Author: Stabrowski Kazimierz, 1869 - 1929
Created: around 1911–1913.
Material / technique: cardboard, pastel.
Dimensions: 49,7 x 67,2 cm.
Signature: AD: K. Stabrowski, KP: W okolicach Palermo.
First and foremost, the picture captivates the eye with the black, decorative and broad-brush, immensely powerful, explosive shape of a cactus placed in a setting of subtle flowers and grasses against the backdrop of a blue sky. It is a moment captured with a degree of feeling and care, and seemingly in a single breath at the same time. The cactus is obviously a part of a larger scheme: a force that kicks everything into motion and the lovely, delicate nature, a clear expression of symbolism. Despite it being a landscape, this work is permeated with a symbolism mood, an extraordinary perspective with the shadow of a looming threat, and a very delicate primeval bloom, a fragile flutter of life.