Bulging Eyes
Unknown Artist
Poland

Figures carved in wood ordinarily inspire a sense of well-being and peace. They feel warm and reassuring to the touch; they even have a pleasant odor. There is no reason why it should be different for this set. Although of unknown artist, it owes its existence to a famous woodcarver tradition of the southern region of Poland where the woods are dense and the winters are long. During this period of forced immobility, many a farmer took up carving and became a master of the penknife. A thriving folk art developed. But look at the faces. Isn't there something unsettling there, which may contradict what has been said so far? The faces have bulging eyes, worse, they seem like piercing eyes x- raying the onlooker. All at once these little figures seem to close in on the innocent visitors and threaten them in silent accusation. In fact, these big eyes are a symbol of fixed and undisguised rapture. In the language of popular art, they are bulging in wonderment and eager to pierce the mystery before them.