THE BLESSED ULMA FAMILY DEPICTED BY POLISH ARTIST

For the story of the new Blesseds – an unprecedented event in the modern canonization process of the Catholic Church:  https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-09/pope-francis-poland-ulma-family-beatification.html

(SEE CORRECTIONS ON ARTIST WHO DID PORTRAIT()

THE BLESSED ULMA FAMILY DEPICTED BY POLISH ARTIST

(From Polish Episcopal Conference via EWTN in Poland – Piotr Pietrus)

The beatification painting of the Ulma family shows Józef and Wiktoria with their children against the background of a summer landscape. Its author is Polish artist Oleg Chizhovsky.

In the background of the painting, on the left side, there is the family home of the new Blesseds. In the background on the right, there are beehives and an orchard, motifs referring to the gardening interests of Blessed Józef Ulma.

Blessed Wiktoria Ulma was depicted pregnant. She holds the youngest daughter, Marysia, in her arms. Jozef stands on the right side of the image and holds a palm branch in his hands, symbolizing their martyrdom.

The remaining children are visible in the foreground. The girl on the left, Stasia, is holding a white lily, a symbol of purity and innocence. The boy in the middle, Antoś, shows his sister Basia a cross made of sticks. This cross is a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice and sacrifice made out of love for man, and in this case it also means that the Samaritans from Markowa gave their lives out of love for another man. Between the parents you can also see two older sons, Władzio and Frania.

The painting was made in oil on canvas, measuring 250 x 180 cm. Its author is the Polish painter Oleg Czyżowski, who lives in Chmielnik near Rzeszów. The author of many religious performances and copies of sacred paintings, also a portraitist, Oleg studied art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow.