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Paris. Alma Bridge over the Seine

Odo Dobrowolski

  • Paris. Alma Bridge over the Seine
Basic information
ID
Г-II-281
Author
Odo Dobrowolski
Name
Paris. Alma Bridge over the Seine
Date of creation
1909
Technique
drawing
Material
cardboard pastel
Dimensions
65 x 95 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 origin, primarily known as a master of graphic art and lithography, as well as an exceptional watercolourist and pastellist.
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 Kraków as a non-degree student at the Academy of Fine Arts.
Between 1908 and 1909, thanks to the support of the painter Jan Styka, Dobrowolski lived in Paris, followed by a brief stay in Munich. Upon returning to Lviv, between 1909 and 1910, the artist executed an oil decorative panel for the confectionery of Gabriela Zapolska – a famous playwright, actress, and one of the most prominent figures of the local bohemian elite. In 1911–1912, he worked in Paris once again. Following his return to Lviv, during the Russian occupation of the city during the First World War, he created a highly popular series of ten lithographs.
In June 1915, alongside the retreating Russian forces, the artist departed for Kyiv, where in 1917 the 34-year-old master died under unresolved circumstances.
The creative heritage of Odo Dobrowolski encompasses numerous cityscapes featuring views of Lviv and Paris, alongside portraits, interior sketches, and nature studies. His works are held in Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery, the National Museum in Kraków, the National Library and the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, as well as in private collections.
Object description
The work was created during the artist’s first visit to Paris in 1908–1909. He depicts one of the city’s well-known bridges, standing on the banks of the Seine in the late evening. Diagonally across the composition run the arches of the bridge, supported by massive round piers (it is known that sculptures once stood on these piers, which the artist does not depict). The roadway is covered in snow, while lamps line the edges of the span, their light reflected in emerald and citron hues on the calm waters of the Seine. The Alma Bridge (Pont de l’Alma) was built after the Crimean War and named in honour of the allied victory at the Alma River. In the 1970s, the bridge was replaced by a new structure with a wider roadway. In 1996, Princess Diana died in the tunnel near this bridge.
Inscriptions
In the lower left corner, there is the author's signature, date, and the title of the work, “Odo Dobrowolski 09/ Paryż Pont de l’Alma”, written in italics.
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

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