Collection

Portrait of Maria Malczewska, the Artist's Wife

Jacek Malczewski

  • Portrait of Maria Malczewska, the Artist's Wife 2
  • Portrait of Maria Malczewska, the Artist's Wife 3
Basic information
ID
Г-V-1375
Author
Jacek Malczewski
Name
Portrait of Maria Malczewska, the Artist's Wife
Country
Poland
Technique
drawing
Material
Indian ink pen paper
Dimensions (height x width, cm)
19 x 12.3
Information about author
Author
Jacek Malczewski
Artist's lifetime
1854–1929
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
Maria Malczewska was the wife of Jacek Malczewski from 1887, as well as the mother of his two children Julia and Rafal. In the spring of 1886, the artist met Maria, the daughter of Fortunat and Jozefa Gralewski, the wealthy Krakow burghers. The young bride enchanted the artist, and later Jacek Malczewski recalled: "Marynia had a shape similar to a lily stalk, and the flower was her head". In November of the same year, they were engaged; on October 29, 1887, the wedding ceremony took place in the Church of St. Mary in Krakow. Despite the fact that the married life was difficult, the couple remained together for the rest of their lives; Jacek Malczewski portrayed Maria for years, including such works as “Portrait of the Bride” (1887) as well as her other images of the 1920s.
Inscriptions
At the bottom of the painting there is an inscription "Potwierdzam autentyczność /Wlastimil Hofman/ Ze spuścizny Mojego Męża Jacka Malczewskiego/moj portret.Maria Malczewska/"
Portrayed person
The name of the person portrayed
Maria Malczewska
Lifetime of the person portrayed
1866–1945