Collection

Jan Zizka in the Battle of Kutna Hora

Jan Matejko

Basic information

ID: Ж-2421
Author: Jan Matejko
Name: Jan Zizka in the Battle of Kutna Hora
Date of creation: 1884
Country: Poland
Culture: Eastern Europe
Technique: oil painting
Material: wood oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 40 x 26

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: history painting
Provenance: Collection of Lviv City Gallery
Exposition: Lozinski Palace

Information about author

Author: Jan Matejko
Artist's lifetime: 1838–1893
Biography: Jan Alojzy Matejko (born 24 June 1838 in Krakow - died 1 November 1893 in Krakow) - famous Polish painter, graphic artist and teacher. In 1852 he began studying painting at the Krakow School of Fine Arts (now the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts). Studied at Wojciech Korneli Stattler and Władysław Łuszczkiewicz. The artist graduated from the Krakow Academy of Fine Arts in 1858 and after that, he studied for two more years in Munich with Hermann Anschütz, where the young artist experienced a period of fascination with the historical painting of French painter Paul Delaroche. The artist participated in numerous art exhibitions. He travelled frequently to Paris and Vienna and visited Prague, Budapest, Berlin, London, Istanbul and many locations in Italy. He became the head of Krakow School of Fine Arts in 1873 and remained at its head until his death. His students included such outstanding Polish painters as Jacek Malczewski, Stanislaw Wyspiański, Jozef Mehoffer. Jan Matejko's artistic heritage - it is more than three hundred paintings: portraits and paintings on historical, religious and allegorical themes, as well as several hundreds of graphic drawings and sketches. The B. Voznytsky Lviv National Art Gallery holds some of the best works of this outstanding Polish artist.

Object description

A sketch work for a historical painting that was never completed. It is the only time in his oeuvre that the artist refers to the war of liberation of the Czech people, the so-called Hussite Wars of 1419-1424. The painting shows blind Jan Žižka (c. 1360-1424) at the battle of Kutná Hora. He is being carried on a stretcher while giving orders to his assistant Prokop.

Inscriptions

Author's signature and date on the bottom left: "JM. r 1884"

Jan Zizka in the Battle of Kutna Hora

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