Barbara Jonscher, Don Quixote

The assumptions of the Socialist Realist doctrine, adopted in 1949, influenced the image of Polish art for only a few years. A clear turning point came in 1955 and with the exhibition in the Warsaw Arsenal, organised as an event accompanying the World Festival of Youth and Students. A new approach to art was presented then, one that rejected the hitherto canon of socialist realist art imposed by the communist authorities. The artists then presented a new concept of figuration. Despite some confusion, ignorance of current trends in European art and the crude means of expression used, the participants in the exhibition proved the authenticity and honesty of their art. An example of a metaphor-laden mirror of the existential reflection of young artists debuting during the 'thaw' period was the painting Don Quixote by Barbara Jonscher, presented within the Arsenal. Painted in 1955 in oil on canvas, it became a true manifesto of a reborn moral stance, influencing subsequent generations of artists.