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Governorate Buildings in Lviv

Odo Dobrowolski

Basic information

ID: Г-IV-5174
Author: Odo Dobrowolski
Name: Governorate Buildings in Lviv
Date of creation: 1915
Technique: colour autolithography
Material: imprint on paper
Dimensions: 30.6 x 43.5 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: printmaking
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

One of ten works from a lithographic series depicting views of Lviv during the russian occupation in the winter of 1915. The beginning of the former Governor’s Ramparts (now Vynnychenko Street) is shown from the south, from the fire brigade building by the Bernardine wall. To the right, in the middle distance, stands the old Governorate Building (the former Governor's residence), illuminated by the setting sun. Adjoining it to the north is the monumental block of the new Governorate Building. Closer to the foreground are a few human figures, and by the façade of the government building stands a military vehicle. The composition is dominated by muted grey tones.

Inscriptions

In the lower left corner is an inscription "Odo Dobrowolski 915/ Lwów" written in italics: the author's signature, date, and the place of creation of the work.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Governorate Buildings in Lviv

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