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Leon Pininski's Palace

Odo Dobrowolski

Basic information

ID: Г-I-143
Author: Odo Dobrowolski
Name: Leon Pininski's Palace
Previous attributions: Leon Pininski's Villa
Country: Austro-Hungarian Empire
Technique: drawing
Material: paper watercolour Indian ink
Dimensions: 49.6 x 40.3 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: landscape
Plot: Architecture
Provenance: Collection of Leon Pininski

Information about author

Author: Odo Dobrowolski
Author in the original: Odo (Otton) Dobrowolski
Artist's lifetime: 1883–1917
Country: Austro-Hungarian Empire
Biography: Odo (Otton) Dobrowolski (1883, Chernivtsi – 1917, Kyiv) was a Lviv artist of Polish-German descent, known primarily as a graphic artist and master of lithography, as well as for his refined works in watercolour and pastel.
He was born into the family of Józef Dobrowolski, an official at the Austrian Governorship of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, and Eugenia Wittich. The artist was likely named after Otto the Great, the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. After graduating from a gymnasium in Lviv, in the mid-1900s he studied in Krakow as a non-matriculated student at the Academy of Fine Arts.
In 1908–1909, with the support of the painter Jan Styka, Dobrowolski lived in Paris before spending a brief period in Munich. Upon returning to Lviv, in 1909–1910, he painted a decorative oil panel for the confectionery of Gabriela Zapolska – a renowned playwright, actress, and one of the most prominent figures of the city's high society of the time. In 1911–1912, Odo worked in Paris once again. Following his return to Lviv, during the russian occupation of the city in the First World War, he created a series of ten lithographs that gained wide acclaim.
In June 1915, he left for Kyiv alongside the retreating russian troops, where the 34-year-old artist died in 1917 under unexplained circumstances.
The artist's oeuvre encompasses numerous cityscapes featuring views of Lviv and Paris, as well as portraits, interior sketches, and life studies. His works are held in Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery, the National Museum in Krakow, the National Library and the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, as well as in private collections.

Object description

The artist has depicted one of Lviv's iconic palatial buildings, located at 4 Jan Matejko Street. It is also known as the former Potulicki-Piniński Villa (late 19th century). The building is shown on the left side of the sheet in a perspective view of the street from the east. The focus is on the northern section of the palace, topped by a dome. To the right are tall green trees beyond the fence of Kosciuszko Park ("Park Kościuszki"; now Ivan Franko Park). The pavement between the park and the street is separated from the road by a lawn. The entire composition is rendered in warm ochre and orange tones.

Inscriptions

Signed and dated bottom right: "Odo Dobrowolski 08".

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Leon Pininski's Palace

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