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Self-Portrait with a Squinted Eye

Odo Dobrowolski

Basic information

ID: Г-V-55
Author: Odo Dobrowolski
Name: Self-Portrait with a Squinted Eye
Date of creation: 1907
Technique: drawing
Material: paper chalk
Dimensions: 38.5 x 42 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: landscape

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

This is the most characteristic self-portrait of the artist at the age of 24, in which he presents himself as a member of the bohemian circle with a confident and contemptuous gaze, clearly concealing his deep inner world. In this shoulder-length portrait, the artist is depicted turned half to the left, with his gaze directed at the viewer. A cigarette is held between his full lips, he wears a beret, and one eye is slightly squinted. The collar of his jumper completely covers his neck. In contrast to the later staged self-portraits (featuring a skull), this work emphasises the authentic features of the sitter.

Inscriptions

On the left, there is a diagonally written author's signature and the date "Odo Dobrowolski 07" in Indian ink. In the lower right corner, there is the author's signature "Оdo Dobrowolski 07" written in pencil.

Portrayed person