Short biography of Zofia Stryjeńska
She was born on 13 May 1891 in Kraków as Zofia Anna Lubańska. She was the eldest of six siblings, the daughter of Tadeusz Grzymała Lubańska, president of the Cracow Chamber of Commerce, and Anna née Skrzyńska. Already in childhood, Stryjeńska showed artistic passion, which she developed by studying drawing and applied arts at the School of Fine Arts for Women by Maria Niedzielska. In October 1911, she left for Munich, where - disguised as a man and using the personalities of her brother Tadeusz - she began her studies at the Academy of Fine Arts.

Creative work
The first exhibition of Zofia Stryjeńska's paintings took place in 1912 at the Society of Friends of Fine Arts in Krakow. Its success and positive reviews in the press contributed to the popularisation of the artist's works. Stryjeńska soon began to receive her first commissions.

She pursued her artistic passions in many fields; besides painting, she was also involved in book illustration, graphic design, stage and costume design. The themes of her works are based on patriotic motifs, inspirations from folklore - customs and folk rituals, as well as Slavic beliefs and the pantheon of their deities.

Success abroad
In 1925, Zofia Stryjeńska was among the artists who presented their works at the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts and the Arts Industry in Paris. Stryjeńska won as many as four Grand Prix prizes (for painting, posters, textiles and illustrations), as well as an honorary diploma in the toy-making department. She was also awarded the Knight's Cross of the Legion of Honour. This recognition contributed to her receiving important state commissions, including for a pair of monumental paintings Fire and Water for the Polish embassy in Sofia, and for the interior decoration of the M/S Batory transatlantic liner.

Emigration
Despite her titanic work, Zofia Stryjeńska struggled with financial problems throughout her life. After the war she decided to leave Poland. She settled first in Paris and then in Geneva, where her three children were already living.

Stryjeńska's post-war work was largely a repetition of earlier works and did not have a major impact on the perception of her output in Poland. The mass dissemination of motifs from her prints, including on chocolate wrappers, porcelain plates and postcards, led to a decline in interest and even a devaluation of her work. As a consequence, Stryjeńska slowly began to fall into oblivion.

Zofia Stryjeńska died on 28 February 1976. Her grave in the Chêne-Bourg cemetery in Geneva is adorned with a wooden cross in the Zakopane style, designed by Stryjeńska's son Jan.

Reception of Stryjeńska's paintings
While in exile, Stryjeńska had to find new audiences for her work. In terms of subject matter, she mainly created original replicas of pre-war works, widely known abroad thanks to numerous reproductions. The recipients of her works included above all representatives of Polish émigré communities in France and the USA.

An important new theme that the artist developed during her stay abroad was religious paintings created on commission for churches in France, Germany and Italy. Two of her paintings found their way into the altars of French churches.

Today, Zofia Stryjeńska's paintings can be found in many collections in Poland and around the world, including at the Polish Museum in America, where an altar painting entitled 'Resurrection', from the collection gathered in Chicago by Bishop Alfred Abramowicz, is on display.