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Technique: sandstone sculpture
Dimensions: 195 cm (H), 48 cm (W), 40 cm (D)
Object: This figurative sculpture carved out of two combined blocks of sandstone is composed of two figures, a woman and a man, depicted in an embrace. The scene is conveyed in a highly simplified manner; certain parts are deliberately left unfinished to obtain the desired artistic effect. The woman clings to the man, embracing him with her raised arms. Her head is tilted backwards and in her left hand, she holds an apple – the forbidden fruit from the biblical Garden of Eden. The female figure is depicted dynamically, with highlighted details of the body – her back, buttocks, thighs, calf and right foot, extended backwards, are rendered with anatomical precision. The man’s figure is static and depicted without any greater insight. The traces of the chisel are visible, imparting a coarse character to the work. The sculpture was acquired by the National Museum in Gdańsk directly from the artist on 1 June 1977. Since then, Adam and Eve has formed part of the open-air sculpture gallery in the Oliwa Park. The work is signed on the side of the sculpture.
Place: The sculpture is integrated into the natural landscape of the northern part of the Adam Mickiewicz Park in Oliwa. It forms part of the Gallery of Contemporary Gdańsk Sculpture from the collection of the National Museum in Gdańsk, created on the initiative of the Museum, the District Board of the Association of Polish Artists and Designers (ZPAP) and the City Council. The outdoor gallery, showcasing works by artists from different generations, was officially opened on 30 March 1976.
Information about the author:
Sławoj Ostrowski (b. 1943 in Słupce, d. 2018 in Gdańsk) studied at the Faculty of Sculpture of the State School of Visual Arts (PWSSP) in Gdańsk – the present-day Academy of Fine Arts. He graduated with honours in 1969 from Prof. Alfred Wiśniewski’s studio. He was a long standing employee of his alma mater. Between 1996 and 2002, he served as the Academy’s deputy vice-chancellor, and between 2005 and 2012, as the dean of the Faculty of Sculpture. He is the author of numerous outdoor monuments and statues, including monument to Mayor Leon Barciszewski in Bydgoszcz, monument to Antoni Abraham in Puck, monument to Jakub Wejher in Wejherowo, Günter Grass’s Bench in Gdańsk and Waterbirds Fountain in Gdańsk-Wrzeszcz.
Condition of the object: awaiting renovation
Owner/guardian: The National Museum in Gdańsk
Author of the entry: Andrzej Zagrobelny
Sources:
Index card from the Research Catalogue of Artistic and Artistic/Historical Exhibits, inv. no. MNG/SW/65/RZ
Bibliography:
Galeria Współczesnej Rzeźby Gdańskiej w Parku Oliwskim, J.W. Bradtke, ed., The National Museum in Gdańsk (Gdańsk 1978) [2nd edition, Gdańsk 1989]
Franciszek Mamuszka, “Ekspozycja rzeźby w parku oliwskim”, in ead., Oliwa. Okruchy z dziejów, zabytki (Gdańsk 1985)
Wojciech Zmorzyński, “Rzeźba,” in Akademia Sztuk Pięknych w Gdańsku 1945–2005. Tradycja i współczesność, The National Museum in Gdańsk (Gdańsk 2005)
Mentions of the artist:
Rzeźba. Sławoj Ostrowski. Sculpture, M. Szatkowska, ed. (Orońsko 1990)
Sławoj Ostrowski – rzeźba, I. Makówka, ed. (Sopot 2003)
Zofia Watrak, “Rodowody i kontynuacje rzeźby gdańskiej. Mistrzowie i uczniowie gdańskiej uczelni,” in Gdański Rocznik Kulturalny, no. 8 (1985)
Wydział Rzeźby Akademii Sztuk Pięknych w Gdański: 2002–2003, L. Ostrogórska, J. Rudnicka, eds. (Gdańsk 2003)
Help us build the database of art objects in Gdańsk by filling in the form and adding photographs.
