Figure of John the Evangelist

Franciszek Oledzki

Basic information

ID: С-I-625
Author: Franciszek Oledzki
Name: Figure of John the Evangelist
Date of creation: 1760s
Country: Ukraine
Technique: carving
Material: wood brown lacquer
Dimensions (height x width x depth, cm): 156 x 50 x 48

Additionally

Type: sculpture
Genre: religious
Plot: John the Evangelist
Provenance: Latin Cathedral in Lviv

Information about author

Author: Franciszek Oledzki
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

The full-length figure of John the Evangelist is reproduced in an expressive Baroque pose of an S-shaped silhouette. His head is bowed to his right shoulder, and his right leg is bent. His figure is slightly modest; its detailed anatomical similarity conveys form, mood, and emotions. The saint seemed to pause in a theatrical pose. The sculptor focused on an expressive elongated face oval with a high forehead, prominent cheekbones and sunken cheeks, a straight, well-defined nose and small, thin lips. The dynamic folds of the tunic and himation add expression to the image. The draperies of the saint's garment form a kind of abstract and curved at different angles planes, which are not always bound to the figure and do not depend on its movements. The saint's garment is covered with folds in the upper and lower parts; they are modelled by large layers divided by small horizontal lines in the middle of the figure. According to Hornung, the figures of Saint Peter and Saint John were created by Franciszek Oledzki for the altar of the chapel in Our Lady of Czestochowa Church.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Figure of John the Evangelist

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