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Exiled to Siberia

Witold Pruszkowski

Basic information

ID: Ж-3388
Author: Witold Pruszkowski
Name: Exiled to Siberia
Date of creation: 1893
Country: Austro-Hungarian Empire
Technique: oil painting
Material: canvas oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 115 x 183

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: history painting symbolic art
Provenance: Lviv Historical Museum

Information about author

Author: Witold Pruszkowski
Artist's lifetime: 1846–1896
Country: russian empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire
Biography: Witold Pruszkowski (January 14, 1846, Bershad, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine – October 10, 1896, Budapest, Hungary) was a Polish romantic and symbolist painter. He was born in Bershad. The artist spent his childhood in Odesa and Kyiv. In 1860, the artist's family moved to France. In Paris, W. Pruszkowski studied painting under the renowned portraitist Tadeusz Gorecki. From 1868 to 1872, he studied at the Munich Academy of Arts. From 1872 to 1876, he continued his education at the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts, where he was a student of Jan Matejko. After completing his studies, he travelled extensively to Italy, Tunisia, Morocco, and Ukraine. From 1882, Pruszkowski lived and worked in the village of Mnikow near Krakow. He actively participated in art exhibitions in Krakow, Warsaw, and Lviv. In 1892, W. Pruszkowski became the head of the committee for the construction of a monument to the artist Artur Grottger. The creative work of Witold Pruszkowski is a synthesis of all the styles and movements that existed in art during this period. These include Romanticism, Impressionism, Realism, and Symbolism. Pruszkowski is referred to as the last romantic and the first symbolist in Polish painting. The artist drew inspiration from folk tales, beliefs, legends, and anecdotes. The works of Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Slowacki, and Zygmunt Krasinski also influenced him. He painted genre scenes, landscapes, and portraits, combining realistic representation with romantic fantasy.

Object description

The work of the first Polish symbolist, Witold Pruszkowski, was based on the romantic tradition with its idealistic attitude towards life and death. The creativity of the outstanding poet and playwright Juliusz Slowacki (1809–1849) had a tremendous influence on the artist. The poem "Anhelli" (1838), dedicated to the Polish insurgents sentenced to exile in Siberia, inspired many artists of that time. In addition to W. Pruszkowski, Arthur Grottger and Jacek Malczewski addressed the Siberian theme. One of Witold Pruszkowski's most famous paintings on this theme is titled "Exiled to Siberia". The painting depicts the snowy expanses of Siberia. In the foreground to the left is a border post with the imperial coat of arms. In the endless silence, Polish exiles walk as if heading to another world. The wind of the snowstorm blurs the horizon, merging the earth with the sky. High in the sky, a star shines indifferently with a cold light. On the right, crosses can be seen marking the place where their predecessors fell – those who could not endure the long, arduous journey and did not reach their destination.

Inscriptions

In the lower right, the author's signature: "Witold Pruszkowski".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Exiled to Siberia

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