Collection

Self-Portrait With Fauns

Jacek Malczewski

  • Self-Portrait With Fauns 2
  • Self-Portrait With Fauns 3
  • Self-Portrait With Fauns 4
Basic information
ID
Ж-16а,б,в
Author
Jacek Malczewski
Name
Self-Portrait With Fauns
Date of creation
1906
Country
Poland
Technique
oil painting
Material
cardboard oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm)
40.5 x 32.5
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
There are three separate parts of the painting. The central (middle) part is a self-portrait. This is the bust-length image of the artist with a metallic device that looks like part of a helmet around his head. He holds a neck of the violin in his hand. Behind him, against the background of the autumn landscape, on the left there is a winged horse Pegasus led by a man, and on the right there is a woman in a white flyaway dress with her hands raised behind her head. In the lower left corner there is the painter's signature: ”1906 J. Malczewski”. The left part is the bust-length image of the faun with a flute in his right hand. Behind him, on the left, against the background of a landscape with tall trees, there is a white winged horse Pegasus; below the image of the horse there is a figure in blue clothes waving in the breeze. On the right, near the neck of the faun, there is the painter's signature: “J. Malczewski ”. The right part is the bust-length image of the old faun with gray hair and a beard. There are small horns on his head; in his hand, he holds a rooster whistle. Behind him, against the background of a landscape with several trees and large white clouds, there are women on the road; one of them is carrying a child, the other – baskets with hay. On the left there is the painter's signature: “J. Malczewski/1906 ”.