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Church of the Dormition in Lviv

Odo Dobrowolski

Basic information

ID: Г-IV-5168
Author: Odo Dobrowolski
Name: Church of the Dormition in Lviv
Date of creation: 1915
Technique: colour autolithography
Material: imprint on paper
Dimensions: 40.7 x 29.4 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, created during the russian occupation in the winter of 1915. The artist sketches the view from the former defensive ramparts to the east of the city centre. In the centre of the composition is the ensemble of the Church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, dominated by the Korniakt Tower. In the distance, the tower of the Town Hall with a flag can be seen. Near the church runs an electric tram, its carriage highlighted by orange patches of light in the interior. The pink hue of the sky emphasises the evening setting and the westward view.

Inscriptions

In the lower right corner are the author's signature and date, "Odo Dobrowolski / 915", written in italics.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery