Sappho (Portrait of Eugénie Meurlot-Chollet)

Jan Styka plays a major role as an intermediary between the artistic styles of Paris and Poland. Like other Symbolist painters, Styka rejected Impressionism and its focus on capturing the fleeting views of daily life, in favor of a representational language that emphasizes the expression of an idea over the realistic description of the natural world.

In this work, Styka portrays the Parisian socialite Madame Eugenie Meurlot-Chollet as Sappho—the celebrated classical Greek poetess from the island of Lesbos whose writings center on human love. Clothed in an ancient robe, Styka's sitter stares seductively at the viewer, while the stormy sky, like the deep red of her robe, hints at inner passion. The Egyptian-style bracelet and elaborate rings add exotic yet biographical touches—Madame Meurlot-Chollet was well known for modeling the latest creations of the famous Art Nouveau jeweler René Lalique.