Collection

Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris

Odo Dobrowolski

  • Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris 2
  • Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris 3
Basic information
ID
Г-V-29
Author
Odo Dobrowolski
Name
Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris
Date of creation
1911
Technique
drawing
Material
paper on cardboard colored pencil Indian ink
Dimensions (height x width, cm)
26.5 x 33.2
Additionally
Type
graphic art
Genre
landscape
Information about author
Author
Odo Dobrowolski
Artist's lifetime
1883–1917
Biography
Odo (Otton) Dobrowolski (1883, Chernivtsi – 1917, Kyiv) was a Lviv artist of Polish-German origin. He is mainly known as a graphic artist, in particular a watercolorist, a master of pastels and lithographs. His parents were Jozef Dobrowolski, the Austrian governor of Galicia-Lodomeria, and Eugenia Wittich. Apparently, the artist was named after Otto the Great, the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. He graduated from the gymnasium in Lviv. In the mid-1900s, Dobrowolski was in Krakow as a non-degree student of the Academy of Fine Arts. Between 1908 and 1909, thanks to the support of the artist Jan Styka, he was in Paris and then in Munich for a short while. After returning to Lviv between 1909 and 1910, the artist made an oil decorative panel for the confectionery of Gabriela Zapolska, a famous playwright, actress, and a bright representative of the Lviv elite. In 1911 and 1912, he was in Paris again. Then he was in Lviv, where during the Russian occupation he created a series of 10 lithographs, which were very popular. In June 1915, during the retreat of the Russians, the artist went to Kyiv, where he died under uncertain circumstances at the age of 34 in 1917. The artistic heritage of Odo Dobrowolski includes numerous cityscapes, particularly views of Lviv and Paris, as well as portraits, interior sketches, and images of nature. The works are stored in Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery, as well as in the National Museum in Krakow, the National Library in Warsaw, the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, and in private collections.
Object description
The work was performed during the artist's second stay in Paris between 1911 and 1912. The Paris temple is depicted in winter. A special place in the artist's work is taken by the winter city architectural views. In the center of the composition there is a temple with two towers in the style of Classicism. The building of the fountain (Fountain of the Four Bishops) is depicted as a light spot in front of it. Horse-drawn carriages lined up near the facade of the building: presumably, the wedding of the newlyweds is taking place in the temple. The tall buildings of "Ottoman" Paris are depicted in the background. The Church of Saint-Sulpice (Église Saint-Sulpice) is a church in central Paris, near the Luxembourg Garden. It has been known since the 12th century. It got its modern look in 1870. Victor Hugo was married in this church.
Inscriptions
In the lower left corner there is a place of the creation of the painting and the author's signature “Odo Dobrowolski / 911 Paryż” in italics. On the right – the title of the work “St. Sulpice”. On the back there is a stamp “Państwowe zbiory sztuki” and stamps of numbers.