Wilhelm Sasnal (born in 1972 in Tarnów, lives and works in Kraków) takes up in his work themes connected with Polish history and national identity, politics and collective memory. In this portrait of Władysław Broniewski, creator of revolutionary lyric poetry and propaganda works, based on a photo by Jan Styczyński, Sasnal addresses the ever-current issue of the artist’s engagement in politics.
Wilhelm Sasnal, Broniewski, oil on canvas, 2005
The painting Untitled (from the film Manhunter) refers to the theme of the Holocaust often recurring in Sasnal’s work. It was inspired by a frame from the film Manhunter (Naganiacz, 1963, directed by Czesław Petelski and Ewa Petelska, written by Roman Bratny). The film tells the story of a group of Hungarian Jews who managed to escape from trains taking them to an extermination camp but die in the forest in a “hunt” by the Nazis.
Wilhelm Sasnal, Untitled (from the film Manhunter), oil on canvas, 2010
