On the Road

Nikifor's life story is material worthy of a film adaptation, which was made in 2004, directed by Krzysztof Krauze and Joanna Kos-Krauze. However, much earlier, as early as the 1950s, the first of his admirers was Andrzej Banach, who took on not only the care of Poland's most famous naïve artist but also made every effort to keep the artistic output and the memory of the Matejko of Krynica alive. The discoverer of the Lemko's artistic talent was Roman Turyn, who introduced the painter's works to the circle of Kapists living in Paris. Initially the artist was called Nikifor; he had no surname. In 1962, when efforts were undertaken to organise an exhibition of the artist in Bulgaria, a problem arose concerning documents confirming the artist's identity. It was then that the surname Nikifor Krynicki was established. Ultimately, however, in 2003 the Matejko of Krynica was identified as Epifaniusz Drowniak. The earliest surviving panoramas and genre compositions date from the 1920s. His simple, honest manner of depiction, with its characteristic handling of perspective, was also appreciated by the famous artist Edward Dwurnik, who, for example, in the cycle „Hitchhiking Travels” continued the painterly values of Epifaniusz Drowniak. PROVENANCE: - the collection of Bogdan Jakubowski - the collection of A. Banach