art photo 01. ROLKE Tadeusz - Gypsy Madonna [1957].

Gelatin-silver photograph on paper, 1957, dimensions 17.7x23.7 cm, author's stamp on back.

Tadeusz Rolke is a brilliant classic of Polish photojournalism and so-called humanistic photography, called "the miracle child of Polish photography." He was born in 1929 in Warsaw.

The Gypsy Madonna is one of his masterpieces. Shown in many exhibitions, it is an image not only of female beauty in general, but also of the mystery of human destiny. The woman, a fairy in bed, holding a child in her arms, seems to ask: "Do we know what will become of us?"

Here's how the artist describes the creation of the photo:

"It was in Pruszkow in a gypsy camp in 1957. A gypsy woman wanted to give me an omen. She took my hand and said: 'How poor you are, you were in prison.' I immediately thanked her. She would still tell me the truth for the future; how did she know that? I only took one picture because my lens fogged up (it was warm in that cart). I shot with a flash and had to wipe the glass because nothing was visible. That's why the photo is so hazy, softened. I gave it to her for milk and ran away. Then I walked around the camp some more, took a dozen photos. When I developed the film, this was the only technically unsuccessful frame and the best photograph." (Tadeusz Rolke)