Fatyga Ostrower - a Pole who changed the face of Brazilian art

Fayga Ostrower is one of those artists whose work escapes clear-cut classifications. Initially inspired by expressionism, she slowly became fascinated by abstract art. And although she is not very well known in Poland, her works can be admired today in the world's major museums.

Fayga Ostrower (1920-2001) was a painter , designer, illustrator and art theorist from Łódź, who settled permanently in Rio de Janeiro . When she was a girl, her family moved to Germany, and when anti-Jewish sentiment began to rise, they moved to Belgium and then to Brazil.

The artist's talent manifested itself during her childhood , when, still as Fayga Krakowska, she portrayed its passengers on a boat trip to Brazil in 1934. She came from a poor family and when she was already living in South America, she started working in an office, to which it took her as much as two hours one way to get there .

In 1946, Ostower began attending courses in printmaking and at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (Fundação Getulio Vargas), where she studied woodcuts and metal engraving . The artist's works were first presented in an exhibition at the Itapetininga Gallery in São Paulo. There, her works from the Expressionist-inspired period, including drawings and linocuts, appeared.

It is worth noting that Ostrower's work also shows her interest in social issues , above all in the context of women . This is evidenced by such works by the artist as:
- "Cabeça de Mulata" ("Head of a woman of mixed race"),
- "Mulheres da favela" ("Women of the favela")
- "Maternidade" ("Motherhood")
- "Sem título (Duas mulheres e uma criança)" ('Untitled [Two women and a child]').

The artist then became fascinated by the work of Paul Cezanne - this led her to change her style to a more abstract one . We should add that Fayga Ostrower received many awards for her work, including at the São Paulo Biennale (in 1957), Venice (in 1958), and later also in Florence, Mexico, Buenos Aires and many other countries. The artist also shared her knowledge for six years during lectures on critical analysis and composition at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro (Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro). She has also been involved in creating book illustrations and textile designs.