Leon Wyczółkowski in his studio, about 1900
Leon Wyczółkowski in Zakopane, 1907
Leon Wyczółkowski in Gościeradz, about 1932
Leon and Franciszka Wyczółkowski, 1932
Leon Wyczółkowski paints Wisła Pod Tyńcem Po Zachodzie Słońca, 1930
Leon Wyczółkowski in his studio working on Dworek w Gościeradzu, 1932
artist draftsman illustrator painter
Leon Wyczółkowski was born in 1852 on April 11 in a small town Huta Miastowska near Garwolin which was situated in the Russian Empire section of partitioned Poland (now the town is in Poland). He was a son of Maksymilian Mateusz Wyczółkowski, a small merchant, and Antonina Wyczółkowska. Leon had one brother and three sisters.
Leon Wyczółkowski’s education started from the studies at Kamionka school not far from Lublin and then at the middle Siedlce school, both in Poland.
In 1869, he entered the Warsaw School of Drawing and Painting and had studied there under the tutelage of Wojciech Gerson, who had a great influence on the future artist, for six years along with Antoni Kamieński and Rafał Hadziewicz.
To pursue his training, Wyczółkowski enrolled at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts at the studio of Alexander Wagner in 1875. After graduating from the Academy, Leon attended the course taught by Jan Matejko’s studio at the Kraków School of Fine Arts, which he graduated in 1879.
The painting called Saint Casimir and Jan Długosz presented at the exhibition organized at Fine Arts Society in Warsaw in 1873, brought Leon Wyczółkowski his first success. The same year, his works were presented at the exhibition in Viena.
Then, influenced by the style of his teacher, Jan Matejko, Wyczółkowski created his Ucieczka Maryny Mniszchówny and portrait series about 1877-1879.
By 1880, Leon became an independent and formed painter who earned his leaving mostly from the portrait commissions. He also worked as a teacher in Warsaw private school in 1881.
Two years later, the painter had a ten-year trip to Ukraine where he created a great variety of paintings then presented at the exhibition organized in Krywulta gallery in Warsaw in 1890. Most of these works were made in impressionist manner.
Leon Wyczółkowski pursued his teaching activity at the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts (ASP) in Kraków where he received a professor’s post in October of 1895 which he had held for 24 years. Since that time, Wyczółkowski was fascinated by symbolism and travelled a lot, in particular, to Italy, France, Spain, United Kingdom and Ireland. He made multiple self-portraits and portrayed as well many famous personalities, including Ludwik Rydygier, Stanisław Witkiewicz, Jan Kasprowicz and others. So, Wyczółkowski occupied on of the leading places among the painters in Kraków.
Along with teaching, Leon Wyczółkowski took an active part in city’s cultural life. So, he joined the Society of Polish Artists which gathered the most remarkable artists by the time and exhibited a lot in its shows. In the late 1880, the artist was fascinated by Japanese art.
Later, Leon Wyczółkowski tried his hand in graphic art and sculpture using its different technics. Among the works of this time were Tatry (1906), Teka ukraińska (1912), Gościeradz (1924) and others.
In 1909, Wyczółkowski became the president of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków and remained it till 1911.
At the outstanding of the First World War, the artist explored lithuanian landscapes. He came back to Warsaw where he stayed for one year creating watercolour landscapes and lithographies with the views of the ancient town.
From 1915 till 1916 Wyczółkowski was in Polish Legions of Józef Piłsudski. Later, the artist created the series of his memories about this period.
From 1934, he was a chair of the department of graphic art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw.
Leon Wyczółkowski was one of the most important Polish painters whose activity was recognized by many awards and prizes.
The significant part of Wyczółkowski’s heritage, about 700 works, is preserved at the Municipal Museum in Bydgoszcz , and the Museum organizes regularly multiple exhibitions and workshops. Some works are also presented in many other galleries all around the world, including polish ones as the National Museum in Warsaw, Kraków, Poznan, and Wroclaw.
Three years after the artist’s death, the gravestone of Leon Wyczółkowski was constructed by the Stonemason’s Shop of Piotr Triebler in Bydgoszcz on the commission from the Bydgoszcz mayor Leon Barciszewski.
In 2007 on December 5, The National Bank of Poland released coins with a nominal value of 20 and 2 zloty in honor of Wyczółkowski.
The year of 2012, the 160th anniversary of the birthday of Leon Wyczółkowski, was announced The Year of Leon Wyczółkowski by the City Council of Bydgoszcz. Many exhibitions, lectures and scientific sessions dedicated to the painter’s life and work, were organized on this occasion.
Portrait of Leokadia Falińska
Gościeradz
Pines
Nude
Play In The Krotte
Ucieczka Maryny Mniszchówny
Portrait of Zofia Cybulska Née Sokołowska
Head of Christ
Brama Krakowska W Lublinie
Kobieta W Stroju Krakowskim
Fisherman with Network
Portrait of Erazm Barącz
Nude
Woman's Portrait
Dwor w Gościeradzu
Portrait of Tadeusz Boy-żeleński
Alina
Flowers In A Jug On A Background Of Tailored Fabric
Portrait of a Bearded Old Man
Saint Casimir and Jan Długosz
Irises
Plowing in Ukraine
Chrystus Frasobliwy, Mn W Poznaniu
Birch in Gościeradz
Alina
Self-Portrait In Chinese Tailoring
Portret Wery Błotnickiej Z Salskich
Gertruda Komorowska
View of Mountains from the Porch of a Forester’s House by the Road to Lake Morskie Oko
Pejzaż Z Jaremcza
Self-Portrait
Stańczyk
Portrait of a Lady
Wisła Pod Tyńcem Po Zachodzie Słońca
Portrait of Idalia Pawlikowska
W Loży
Head of An Old Man
Studium (portret Natalii Siennickiej-duninowej)
Portret Damy
Portret Erazma Barącza
Portret Św. Brata Alberta (adam Chmielowski)
Japanese Woman
Portret Malarza Ludomira Benedyktowicza
A Fisherman
Portret Dzieci - Julian I Jan Dobrzańscy
Leon Wyczółkowski married Franciszka Panek in 1915. The couple had no children.
He was a painter.
He was a realist painter.
He was a painter
