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Prey of Crows

Marceli Harasimowicz

Basic information

ID: Ж-2216
Author: Marceli Harasimowicz
Name: Prey of Crows
Date of creation: 1884
Country: Germany
Technique: oil painting
Material: canvas oil
Dimensions: 121 x 142 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: genre art narrative art
Provenance: Collection of Lviv City Gallery

Information about author

Author: Marceli Harasimowicz
Artist's lifetime: 1859–1935
Country: russian empire
Biography: Marceli Harasimowicz (January 16, 1859, Warsaw – May 22, 1935, Lviv) was a Polish painter and educator. He was the brother of the sculptor Piotr-Witalis Harasimowicz. In 1873, he graduated from the Higher Real School in Krakow. From 1873 to 1879, he studied at the Krakow School of Fine Arts, and from 1880 to 1885, he attended the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts (in the studio of Carl Wurzinger) and the Munich Academy of Fine Arts (in the studio of Wilhelm Lindenschmit the Younger). After obtaining his artistic education, he settled in Lviv, where he worked under the guidance of Andrzej Grabowski. In 1888, he opened his own women's art school (which became a general school of painting and sculpture in 1891). In 1891, M. Harasimowicz became a scholarship holder of the Society of Friends of Fine Arts in Lviv. In 1907, he became the first chief curator of the Lviv City Gallery (now Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery) and co-author of the first catalogue of the gallery's Polish painting collections. He held this position until 1931. The artist regularly participated in exhibitions organised by the Society of Friends of Fine Arts in Lviv (TPSP) and Krakow. He presented his works at exhibitions of the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts in Warsaw (TZSP), as well as in Munich and Vienna. He was the author of landscapes, portraits, and genre scenes on Ukrainian themes created in a realistic style. He illustrated Lviv's periodicals and books. He also worked on the decorative painting of the City Theatre (now the Maria Zankovetska Lviv Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet) in Lviv. He was involved in the restoration of paintings. Additionally, he was a member of the Literary and Artistic Club and the Association of Polish Artists in Lviv.

Object description

The theme of tragic death that M. Harasimowicz addresses in his painting is a unique example of decadence prevalent in the art and literature of the late 19th century. The rectangular horizontal composition is rendered in muted grey and black-and-white colours. The painting depicts the body of a young woman in black clothing, overtaken by death amidst a snowy plain. To the left of her lies a small open bundle. Against the backdrop of heavy grey clouds tinted by the rays of the setting sun, a flock of crows can be seen. Two birds are already circling above the girl’s body. Her black scarf, caught on a branch and fluttering in the wind, resembles the outstretched wings of a raven, which is a symbol of death. The painting leaves a heavy impression and raises many questions: who is this girl? What happened to her? What circumstances led her to embark on this final journey?

Inscriptions

In the bottom right are the artist's signature and date: "Marceli Harasimowicz Monachium 1884".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Prey of Crows

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