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After the Ball

Wladyslaw Czachorski

Basic information

ID: Ж-207
Author: Wladyslaw Czachorski
Name: After the Ball
Date of creation: 1872
Country: Germany
Technique: oil painting
Material: canvas oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 48.5 x 68

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: narrative art history painting
Provenance: Collection of Lviv City Gallery

Information about author

Author: Wladyslaw Czachorski
Artist's lifetime: 1850–1911
Country: russian empire, Germany
Biography: Wladyslaw Czachorski (September 22, 1850, Lublin – January 13, 1911, Munich) was a Polish artist of the academic style and a representative of the Munich School. From 1866 to 1867, he studied at the Drawing Class in Warsaw under the guidance of Rafal Gadziejewicz and later at the Dresden and Munich Academies of Fine Arts (1868–1873). After completing his studies, from 1874 to 1877, the artist travelled through Italy and France. At the World Art Exhibition in Munich in 1879, Czachorski was awarded a gold medal for his painting "Actors Before Hamlet" (1875). After that, the artist settled in Munich, gaining recognition and becoming an honorary professor at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. In 1893, Czachorski was awarded the Bavarian Order of Saint Michael. The artist painted genre scenes inspired by literature and history, as well as works based on the writings of William Shakespeare, in addition to portraits and still lifes. However, Czachorski gained popularity for his numerous depictions of women in 18th- and 19th-century attire set against lavish interiors, portrayed with great attention to detail. The works by W. Czachorski are held in private and museum collections in Poland, Ukraine, Germany, and the United States.

Object description

Czachorski started the work on the multi-figure composition while studying at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts, but it remained in the sketch stage. The artist draws upon the era of the seventeenth century. The painting depicts a large, dimly lit ballroom in a palace. The ball has already finished, and many guests have departed, leaving the hall depicted as half-empty. The footmen in red livery await instructions. The focal point of the painting is a couple depicted on the left, capturing the attention of those present: a young woman in a dark green gown adorned with lace and a man in a dark coat with a red ribbon slung across his shoulder. The noble lady arrives late to the ball but honours the host with her presence as he escorts her through the hall. The footmen respectfully bow before them.

Inscriptions

In the lower left is a scratched artist's signature: "Czachórski 1872".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

After the Ball

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