Gardener (Portrait of Rudolf Dobrzanski)

Jacek Malczewski

Basic information

ID: Ж-103
Author: Jacek Malczewski
Name: Gardener (Portrait of Rudolf Dobrzanski)
Date of creation: 1896
Country: Poland
Technique: oil painting
Material: canvas oil
Dimensions (height x width, cm): 63.3 x 42.3

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: portraiture
Provenance: Collection of Lviv City Gallery

Information about author

Author: Jacek Malczewski
Artist's lifetime: 1854–1929
Country: Poland
Biography: Jacek Malczewski (July 14, 1854, Radom, Kingdom of Poland, Russian Empire – October 8, 1929, Krakow, Republic of Poland) was an outstanding artist and one of the most prominent representatives of Polish Symbolism. He studied at the School of Fine Arts in Krakow, where his teacher was Jan Matejko. The artist participated in an archeological expedition to Pamphylia, Pisidia, and Greece, which was organized by Count Karol Lanckoronski. He also visited Munich and Italy. Jacek Malczewski was one of the founders of the art union "Sztuka" ("Art"). The artist's creative heritage includes landscapes and portraiture, symbolic compositions, interpretations of religious themes, and numerous self-portraits in various images.

Object description

Piotr Hubal-Dobrzanski was a lawyer, art connoisseur, and collector; he was one of the first to believe in Malczewski's talent and introduced him to Jan Matejko. He was a close friend of the artist, although he was a little older than him. His son Rudolf is depicted in the presented work in the green garden; he is dressed in traditional clothing for that period, and his children's clothing is stylised as a sailor's uniform. Great Britain was the homeland of that style. Queen Victoria contributed to its popularity by dressing her son in a sailor suit. In the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries, this style was often reflected in women's and men's fashion. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, clothing stylised as a sailor's uniform was a mandatory attribute of the apparel of children who belonged to the high society in Europe and the Russian Empire.

Inscriptions

At the upper right of the painting, there is an inscription "J Malczewski 96 Juli"

Portrayed person