Nikifor Krynicki (1895 Krynica - 1968 Folusz), Self-portrait against the background of a church, late 1950s.

Origin
purchase from art dealer Ewa J. Pape, New York, 1980s

Literature
Polish Painting in the Collection of Ewa and Wojciech Fibak, exhibition catalog, National Museum in Warsaw, National Museum in Poznan, Warsaw 1992, p. n.s. (list of paintings not exhibited)

Biography
Nikifor - related to Krynica Lemko by origin, self-taught, half illiterate, amateur painter, one of the most outstanding creators of "naive art". Knowledge of the artist's origin and youth is sparse and uncertain. He is remembered as a "forever" part of the folklore of Krynica. He had no education, mental and physical disabilities hindered his contact with the outside world. The link to the outside world for him was painting. His paintings were created on small formats of acquired paper, cardboard boxes, packages, notebook sheets - sometimes written on one side. He drew with pencil, crayon, painted with watercolor the world around him, enriched by his personal fantasy and experiences. He primarily painted architectural landscapes of hard-to-recognize towns with accents in the form of church or town hall towers. He was fascinated by train stations, viaducts and trains; he also created portraits and religious scenes. He often signed his works with unintelligible or partially legible words written in clumsy capital letters. The subject he depicted was outlined with strong contours, which he filled in with colorful spots. The uniqueness and freshness of Nikifor's painting was pointed out, even before the war, by Jerzy Wolff. In 1947 he was again "discovered" gaining fame, recognition and fortune.