Background
Orłowski was born in 1777 in Warsaw to a tavern-keeper.
Orłowski was born in 1777 in Warsaw to a tavern-keeper.
In early childhood he became known as a prodigy, and soon Izabela Czartoryska financed his first painting classes with the artist January Piotr Norblin. In 1793 Orłowski joined the Polish Army and fought in the Kościuszko Uprising against Imperial Russia and Prussia. He was wounded and returned to Warsaw for further studies, financed by Prince Józef Poniatowski.
He studied with many notable painters of the age, including Norblin, Marcello Bacciarelli and Wincenty Lesserowicz.
In 1802, after the Partitions of Poland, he moved to Russia, where he became a pioneer of lithography.