Janina Konarska

Janina Konarska-Słonimska was a Polish graphic artist and sculptor. She came from a wealthy industrialist family named Seideman. After studying in Warszawa and Paris she officially took on her professional name of Konarska in 1924. Her Jewish family converted to Catholicism and changed their name accordingly. During the Polish-Bolshevik war, she was a nurse tending wounded soldiers. In the following years, she studied painting at the School of Fine Arts in Warszawa (Warsaw). There, she became a prominent figure of the local art scene and was one of the founders of the group “Ryt”.

Konarska’s favorite technique was color woodcut, but she also painted landscapes and illustrated books. She successfully exhibited her works, which emphasized saints and animals. She then joined the Skamander artists’ group, where she was admired for her intelligence and beauty. In 1934 Konarska married the Polish poet and writer Antoni Słonimski, another member of the group, while Janina gradually withdrew from artistic activity. After eight years in exile in Paris and London during World War II, she returned to Poland concentrating on book illustrations.

Both of her works for the art competitions were color woodcuts. Stadium was honored with the silver medal in the category Graphic Arts at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. The work also appears as Piłka nożna / Stadium (Football / Stadium). She also submitted another woodcut called Narty (Ski, 30 x 25 cm), also from 1931. It was one of a series of similar works from that period showing skiers.