Polish hand painted nostalgia
Deep in the middle of the Polish countryside can be found the small village of Zalipie. It has become the last standing village where the tradition of hand painting flower motifs in the houses still remains.
Wall painting in Zalipie began to develop at the end of the 19th century, when resourceful housewives brightened the smoky and sooty interiors of chicken huts with sticks, i.e. circular spots of lime mixed with wood ash. When bread ovens with chimneys appeared, the creative imagination of the Zalipian women expanded significantly, and more and more elaborate paintings began to appear on interior and exterior walls, as well as on household appliances. Initially, only two dyes were used - black and white. Over time, the color range has expanded significantly. The Zalipie style was distinguished by large-format, floral compositions in bright colors. Patterns have always been individual and depended on the imagination of the creators, who always painted by hand without using stencils.
Felicja Curyłowa
One legendary woman, Felicja Curyłowa started painting her parents home in Zalipie at the age of 10 and quickly made the entire village famous. Busloads of tourists headed by party dignitaries came to her house in the 1950s. This extraordinary folk artist was an integral part of this town, the driving force behind many initiatives undertaken here, a propagator of decorating cottages and maintaining folk traditions. Thanks to, among other things, her work and commitment, floral wall painting has survived to this day. During the times of the Polish People's Republic, she turned into a dedicated social activist. She was the organizer of all wall painting competitions taking place in Zalipie and the initiator of the "Wieś creating" association. Under her leadership, local artists went beyond the borders of their city, painting their flowers in Lublin, Warsaw, and even on the ship "Batory".
This photo essay portrays her home and some of the houses in Zalipie that still can be visited today with some of the original paintings.
Photos & text - Irene Baqué @irenebaque
Archives pictures - Zagroda Felicji Curyłowej w Zalipiu
