Church in Medyka (K. W. Kielisinski's Album)

Kajetan Kielisiński created numerous etchings and drawings dedicated to folklore, the life of Polish villages and towns, historical monuments, and landscapes. In 1853, the Poznań publisher Jan Konstanty Żupański issued "Kielisiński's Album", gathering the artist's scattered works, most of which had remained unpublished during his lifetime. Two years later, in 1855, Żupański released a supplementary volume to complement the previous edition, which included etchings depicting coins and seals, figures in historical costumes, alongside rural and urban landscapes.
The presented etching belongs to the graphic sheets published within this 1855 supplement.
The sheet depicts a panoramic view of a sacred complex consisting of a wooden church and an adjacent bell tower. Against the backdrop of a cloudy sky, the central log structure stands out, surmounted by a massive helmet-shaped dome with a lantern and a cross. The yard is surrounded by a solid wooden fence with an entrance gate on the right. On either side of the church ensemble rise the crowns of deciduous trees.
In the foreground runs a wide rural dirt road. In the bottom right corner, two staffage figures are depicted – a woman in traditional attire and a child, walking past the church.
The work is distinguished by its masterful hatching, which convincingly renders the texture of the trees, the shingle covering of the roof, and the play of light and shadow on the walls.

Beneath the image, the artist's inscriptions read: on the left – "KWK. rys. z n. 1835." [Drawn from nature by KWK. 1835]; and on the right – "rob. aqf. 1838. 3 Marса." [Executed in etching. 3 March 1838].

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery