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Angel

Franciszek Oledzki

Basic information

ID: С-I-1115
Author: Franciszek Oledzki
Name: Angel
Date of creation: 1780s
Technique: carving
Material: wood
Dimensions: 105 x 195 x 92 cm (height x width x depth)

Additionally

Type: sculpture
Genre: religious

Information about author

Author: Franciszek Oledzki
Author in the original: Franciszek Olędzki
Artist's lifetime: c. 1745–1792
Country: Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, now Ukraine
Biography: Franciszek Oledzki was a Lviv sculptor of the second half of the eighteenth century. There are not enough documented works about the artist. His creative activity dates between 1760 and 1792. The author worked with various materials: limestone, marble, stucco, wood (linden was the primary material) and mostly carved round sculptures. Since the 1770s, Oledzki worked in Lviv: he performed stained glass works in the Latin Cathedral (from June 14, 1773 to November 4, 1779, he worked on four altars, a throne for the bishop, and various ornaments); in the Dormition Church, the artist made an iconostasis; in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene, he carved an altar with figures of saints. In addition to Lviv, Franciszek Oledzki worked in Berestechko, Buchach, and Lopatyn. In 1774, he signed an agreement with the superior of the Dominican monastery in Pidkamin to perform sculptural works. A characteristic feature of the sculptor's work is the figures' expressive poses and dynamic gestures – his angels seem to be flying in the sky. The professionalism of the master is felt in the filigree facial features, movements of the depicted figures, and peculiar curls of their hair.

Object description

Between 1711 and 1733, the church of the Holy Trinity was built on the site of a wooden Trinitarian monastery at the expense of Tomasz Karczewski in the town of Berestechko. The building had eight altars. During the 1780s, Franciszek Oledzki was commissioned to make a group of sculptures for the decoration of the church. The angel is one of the figures of the central altar. In the sculpture, there is a noticeable influence of the Rococo style, as the figure has elongated proportions of the body, as well as there is a lot of dynamism in its pose and movements. In the composition, all the weight of the body is shifted to one leg. The features of the angel's face are made in the manner typical of the master. Franciszek Oledzki skillfully depicted the large almond-shaped eyes, a straight nose, and lips with a sharp contour and slightly protruding upper lip. The angel's head is tilted to the left shoulder and framed by fluttering curly hair. The massive neck turns into a muscular body wrapped in drapery. The horizontal and vertical sharp folds of the fabric are full of dynamism.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Angel

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