Frenzy Of Exultations by Władysław Podkowiński - an expression of rage, ecstasy & symbolism

Władysław Podkowiński had a bright future as a painter, but his life was cut short by tuberculosis at the age of 28. The decline of his health marked a shift in the ideas and visions of the talented Polish painter. While Podkowiński’s health was stable, his artworks displayed light and colorful landscape and genre scenes inspired by the French Impressionists. When his health worsened, Podkowiński painted his most famous and controversial work that strongly contrasted with all of his previous artworks — Frenzy Of Exultations.

This painting instantly catches the viewer’s eye with the strong contrast between the light and dark parts of the overall composition. It depicts a dark, apocalyptic horse in the midst of rage and madness. Just look at its eyes and foaming mouth. The horse looks like it is about to burn from the horror it feels from being hugged by the naked, redhead woman that sits on its back.

Ecstasy / Frenzy of Exultations (1894) by Wladyslaw Podkovinski. Oil on canvas, 310 cm x 275 cm. Source: Wikipedia Commons.

Her face, however, displays surprisingly calm and warm emotions. She does not try to squeeze the horse’s neck or somehow apply any pressure on this enraged animal. Her pose is very relaxed. Turn the painting to a more horizontal angle, and it will look like she’s hugging a dark pillow in a night of comfortable sleep. Podkowiński managed to create a strong contrast not only in terms of colors but also with this contrast of emotions, which only adds more confusion toward the true meaning behind this artwork.

There have been plenty of versions by Podkowiński’s contemporary artists and art critics about the meaning and symbolism of Frenzy Of Exultations. At the time, his work received a wave of attention and criticism. The painter felt so angered and devastated by the perception of the audience, that he cut the canvas with a knife just before the end of an exhibition where the Frenzy Of Exultations was displayed.

But which version can explain the meaning of the idea of this incredibly expressive and powerful painting? Is that a display of strong erotic feelings, depicting the peak of all the lustful moments between the man and woman? Is this a symbolic depiction of good versus evil, or an angel versus demon that feels frightened by the good-hearted intentions of this visually calming angel? Nobody knows the true motifs. Podkowiński left a mystery behind the painting that created a lot of buzz in the late 19th century. Of course, at the time, people mostly put their accents the eroticism and sexual undertones because of the powerful impressions this painting left in their minds.

The motifs and ideas behind Frenzy Of Exultations might actually lie on the surface. It’s the contrasting and inexplainable feeling of a human being, who is just a step away from facing death. Podkowiński was very ill during the creation of this artwork, and toward the end of the process, he barely could get out of bed. It was a painful process for the Polish painter. His health was rapidly declining, and the youthful energy faded away forever.

It might be that Frenzy Of Exultations was speculation about the possible feelings at the time of death. The horse can serve as a representation of the fear of the unknown. What is going to happen after death? Is there an afterlife or death will be the end of everything? Nobody knows a definitive answer, and this painting might have been the expression of Podkowiński’s fears and doubts at the time. The naked woman calming down the horse could have been a symbolic representation of hope. Yes, there might be an afterlife, paradise, and eternal life somewhere. It’s a battle of contrasting emotions, and you can never guess which one is going to take over.

Of course, this is just one of the numerous versions that might hold some truth or turn out to be completely false. We will never know the truth. However, Frenzy Of Exultations is a timeless masterpiece that provokes the thought process. It is one of the deep-type of artworks that allow its viewer to imagine and look for the answer. Whether the answer is very complex or plain and simple, the process of finding it is all that matters. It is not the naked woman’s figure that made this painting so provocative — it’s the numerous motifs that Podkowiński embodied in her.

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