Leon WYCZÓŁKOWSKI (1852-1936), Landscape with Thistles

Oil, canvas, 92.5 x 68 cm,
Signed l.d.: L Wyczółkowski [1]887.

Confirmation of the painting's authenticity by P. Ewa Sekuła-Tauer, director of the Leon Wyczółkowski Museum in Bydgoszcz:
"The painting depicts an early spring mountainous landscape, with a large thistle bush in the left corner, which fills 2/3 of the composition. A spring breeze is introduced by white butterflies circling above the thistle flowers. In the background are piled up mountains, and the frame on the right closes with a fragment of a whitewashed cottage, obscured from the front by a tall tree.
The artist has presented the composition of the painting in a very interesting way, showing a fragment of the frame from an original perspective, using a two-plan space. The thistles, which are the main subject of the presented scene, are shown just at the left, lower edge of the canvas, without being distant and do not close the composition. The artist depicted a momentary fragmentary event, which probably captivated him with its simplicity and beauty. It should be mentioned that in 1883-90 Wyczółkowski used this type of compositional solutions in his other paintings (Alina, In the Boudoir, In the Lodge). The painting is painted freely, impasto, with subdued colors with predominance of shades of light blue, browns, cool greens with addition of ochres.
Authorship: the painting is an original work by Leon Wyczółkowski, created in 1887.
The signature is that of the author. Authenticity of the painting is evidenced by all features: subject, artistic expression, composition, colors, manner of painting, original signature.
The authenticity of the painting - the work of Leon Wyczółkowski - is confirmed by other works of the artist created around 1883-1890."


Leon WYCZÓŁKOWSKI (1852-1936)
Painter, graphic artist and educator, was one of the most outstanding Polish artists working at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. He began his artistic studies at the Warsaw Drawing Class under W.Gerson and A. Kaminski (1869-1873), then continued them at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts under A. Wagner (1875-1877), in Cracow under J. Matejko (1877/78) and during two trips to Paris (1878 and 1889). After his studies, he settled in Lviv and later moved to Warsaw. He spent the years 1883-1889 traveling in Ukraine and Podolia. In 1895 he moved to Krakow, appointed as a lecturer at the School of Fine Arts there. In the following years he traveled extensively - to Italy, France, Spain, Holland, England. He was one of the founding members of the Society of Polish Artists "Art". He exhibited a lot both at home and abroad. He spent the years 1929-1936 in Poznań and Gościeradz, commuting to Warsaw, where (from 1934) he held the chair of graphics at the Academy of Fine Arts. He painted landscapes, portraits, genre scenes, still lifes and flowers. He readily used pastel and watercolor techniques, was an accomplished printmaker, and was also involved in sculpture.