Dimensions: 35 x 49 cm (in light of passe-partout)
signed l.d.: 'Rafał Malczewski'
Source
the artist's legacy
purchase from the artist's heirs in 2015
private collection, Canada
Biography
Born in Krakow, he studied philosophy, architecture and agronomy in Vienna. His passion for painting and art was instilled in him by his father, Jacek Malczewski, a professor at Krakow's Academy of Fine Arts. In 1917, two years after graduating, Malczewski moved to Zakopane where he became a member of the artistic and intellectual elite. He joined the Podhale Art Society to support the idea of rooting Polish art in local folklore. Beginning in 1925, he created designs for stage settings for the Formist Theater. In 1930, he traveled to France where he returned after the outbreak of World War II by making his way through Slovakia, Hungary and Italy. In 1940 he fled to Brazil via Spain and Portugal, and after two years of painting views of Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba, he moved to the United States and settled in Montreal. He visited the landscapes of Canada and the United States profusely in search of inspiration for his paintings. In 1959 he visited Poland but, despite his longing for his homeland, decided not to return permanently. A stroke he suffered in 1957 prevented Malczewski from continuing to paint in oil, but he continued to do watercolors. His last exhibition was held in 1964, and he died in Montreal a year later.