"Christmas Eve in Siberia", 1892, by Jacek Malczewski. In the Cloth Hall, Kraków. The scene presumably refers to the banishment to Siberia of thousands of Polish leaders after their failed rebellion (January Uprising) in 1863. Malczewski painted other scenes from the deportation and banishment, but is better known for his symbolist paintings of portraits. There is a good gallery of his work at http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/jacek-malczewski/.

October 10, 2013