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Self-Portrait with Mieczyslaw Gasecki

Jacek Malczewski

Basic information

ID: Ж-2234
Author: Jacek Malczewski
Name: Self-Portrait with Mieczyslaw Gasecki
Date of creation: 1921
Country: Poland
Technique: oil painting
Material: canvas oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 101.8 x 60.5

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: portraiture
Provenance: Collection of E. Reiter

Information about author

Author: Jacek Malczewski
Artist's lifetime: 1854–1929
Country: Poland
Biography: Jacek Malczewski (July 14, 1854, Radom, Kingdom of Poland, Russian Empire – October 8, 1929, Krakow, Republic of Poland) was an outstanding artist and one of the most prominent representatives of Polish Symbolism. He studied at the School of Fine Arts in Krakow, where his teacher was Jan Matejko. The artist participated in an archeological expedition to Pamphylia, Pisidia, and Greece, which was organized by Count Karol Lanckoronski. He also visited Munich and Italy. Jacek Malczewski was one of the founders of the art union "Sztuka" ("Art"). The artist's creative heritage includes landscapes and portraiture, symbolic compositions, interpretations of religious themes, and numerous self-portraits in various images.

Object description

Mieczyslaw Gasecki (May 3, 1883, Lviv – April 16, 1948, Krakow) was an artist, restorer, and a good friend of Jacek Malczewski, who, in a friendly way, called him "Goniem'' (from the word "to chase"). He assisted the artist in many aspects, including technical and restoration work; in particular, he made sketches for future works and was a model for many paintings. In this work, the artist portrayed Gasecki and himself in the image of knights wearing conquistador helmets. As a rule, the main tendencies in Malczewski's self-portraits are always connected with the chivalric ideal. The artist depicted himself as tall and slim, in shining knight armour, with a flower and hussar wings behind his back, a muse and birds, and the image of the Virgin Mary on his chest. The presented picture also has such symbols; in particular, the blue and red colours in the drapery in the foreground refer to the iconographic tradition of depicting the Virgin Mary's clothing, which confirms the interpretation of the "knights of the faith". Jacek Malczewski portrayed himself in various characters and costumes, thus creating a particular page of his oeuvre. He painted a lot of self-portraits. There are 12 of them in the Gallery collection. The artist portrayed himself reflecting on the messianic tasks in accordance with the worldview principles of the Romantics and Symbolists, whose life's task was a relentless search for the ideal. However, the irony and understanding of his imperfection are often noticeable in his self-portraits; it is a tool that allows the artist to have a dialogue with the viewer.

Inscriptions

At the bottom left of the painting, there is an inscription "1921. J Malczewski"

Portrayed person