Back

Sunflowers

Jan Stanislawski

  • Sunflowers 2
  • Sunflowers 3
Basic information
ID
Ж-268
Author
Jan Stanislawski
Name
Sunflowers
Date of creation
1903
Technique
oil painting
Material
cardboard oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm)
32.3 x 23.7
Additionally
Information about author
Author
Jan Stanislawski
Artist's lifetime
1860–1907
Country
russian empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire
Biography
Jan Stanislawski (June 24, 1860, Vilshana, Cherkasy region, Ukraine – January 6, 1907, Krakow, Kingdom of Poland) was a prominent Impressionist painter, graphic artist, educator, professor at the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts, and co-founder of the Society of Polish Artists "Sztuka". He led the Krakow School of Landscape Painting ("Stanislawski School"). He studied mathematics at the University of Warsaw and the Petersburg Technological Institute. Later, he became interested in painting and enrolled in the Drawing School in Warsaw (a painting class under W. Gerson). Then, he studied at the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts under W. Luszczkiewicz (1883–1885). Later, he refined his skills at art studios in Paris (1885–1888). From 1888 to 1895, he travelled through France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. Jan Stanislawski's artistic work was significantly linked to Ukraine. The artist visited his homeland every year and dedicated numerous works to it. His canvases feature landscapes of Kyiv, Bila Tserkva, Kaniv, and other Ukrainian cities. He was a member of the pedagogical council of the Kyiv Drawing School of Mykola Murashko. His students and followers included Ukrainian artists Mykola Burachek, Ivan Trush, Oleksa Novakivskyi, and others. Jan Stanislawski is known for his atmospheric landscapes, mostly of small size, characterised by an unfinished sketch-like quality that imparts a distinctive expressiveness to his works. He painted Polish and Ukrainian landscapes featuring cottages, churches, fields, and gardens. He worked in graphic arts and designed posters, Krakow nativity scenes (verteps), and theatrical decorations. The artist's works are preserved in Krakow, Warsaw, Kyiv, and Lviv museums.
Object description
The work is a study depicting a field of sunflowers against the backdrop of a heavy, dark purple sky. On the ground beneath the plants are bright blue shadows. The author's succinct landscapes, created with colour patches, demonstrate how the artist could perfectly capture a moment in time with just a few brushstrokes.
Inscriptions
On the lower left is the author's signature: "Jan Stanisławski".
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery