Parisian

Kajetan Stefanowicz

Basic information

ID: Ж-2290
Author: Kajetan Stefanowicz
Name: Parisian
Date of creation: 1912–1913
Country: Poland
Technique: oil painting
Material: canvas oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 162 x 130.5

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: decorative symbolic art portraiture
Plot: Portrait
Provenance: Received from the collection of Sabina Stefanowicz in 1940

Information about author

Author: Kajetan Stefanowicz
Artist's lifetime: 1886–1920
Country: Poland
Biography: Kajetan Stefanowicz is one of the brightest representatives of the Lviv secession, a graphic artist, decorator, and illustrator. His work is characterized by oriental motifs, flatness, and complex symbolism of images. The artist was born on July 12, 1886 in the city of Drohobych in the family of Armenian intellectuals. He had his first painting lesson with his father, the artist Antoni Stefanowicz, then he studied architecture under the supervision of the architect and painter Edgar Kováts (1849–1912) at the Lviv Polytechnic National University. Between 1906 and 1908, he studied under the supervision of Jozef Pankiewicz and Jozef Mehoffer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, and in 1908–1910, he studied under the supervision of Otto Seitz at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. In 1911, he received a scholarship from the Sapiegos Foundation and continued his studies at the École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (National School of Fine Arts) in Paris. With the beginning of World War I, in 1914, he joined the ranks of the Eastern Legion (Legion Wschodni) in Lviv and began his military service. In 1920, he remained in the officers' reserve and worked as a training officer for the Military Ministry. With the beginning of the Polish-Soviet war, he returned to his regiment at the front. He was killed by a sniper bullet on September 20, 1920 near Rahachow (now Gomel region, Belarus). The artist was buried at the Cemetery of the Defenders of Lviv on the territory of the Lychakiv Cemetery.

Object description

The Vienna Secession, particularly the work of Gustav Klimt, had a significant influence on Kajetan Stefanowicz – this explains his fascination with ornamental surfaces. A key artistic technique in the artist's works is the elastic, winding line, which creates rhythm and dynamism. The artist's attraction to Eastern motifs is evident in the use of vibrant oriental ornamentation, symbolism, and a focus on Eastern themes. This is precisely seen in the work "Parisian", where Eastern and Western cultures are contrasted yet harmoniously intertwined. The elegant figure of a tall young woman in a feathered hat resembles the stem of a flower. Her sleek attire, rendered in neutral black and light tones, contrasts with the vibrant ornamental background, which features a colour palette of blues, purples, greenish-yellows, and ochres. Amid the flowers and intricate dynamic lines, the outlines of dragons and peacocks can be recognised. In the background, behind the woman, is a statue of a smiling Budai on a pedestal, whose warm smile contrasts with the girl's melancholic expression. In Japanese mythology, Budai is the god of happiness, wealth, communication, joy, and prosperity. He is sometimes referred to as the Laughing Buddha.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Parisian

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