Edward Wittig, Temptation, 1900.

Patinated plaster
31 x 54 cm
Signed p.d.: Wittig
Provenance: Warsaw, private collection , gift from the artist.

The relief is characterized by sparing relief and synthetic modeling typical of Wittig. The artist reduces anatomical details in favor of fluidity of contour and rhythm of bodies. The title "Temptation" gives the whole an unambiguous moral-spiritual dimension. Wittig portrays a man facing a choice between sensuality and purity, between earthly desire and spiritual ideal.

Literature: Edward Wittig. Collective Exhibition [exhibition catalog], published by the Society of Friends of Fine Arts in Lviv, Lviv 1932. Kozicki, W., Edward Wittig Development of Creativity, published by Lucjan Zlotnicki, Warsaw 1932, p. 17. Przegląd Tygodniowy Życia Społecznego, Literatura i Sztuk Pięknych. R. 35, 1900, no. 43, p. 461. Szczęsny, Rutkowski, Edward Wittig, p. 16.