Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski, BEDUINI, after 1903

74.0 x 108.0cm - oil, canvas Signed l.d.: AWK

In 1903, Alfred Wierusz Kowalski, riding the wave of fashion for Orientalism, traveled to North Africa. More and more artists traveled to the Near and Far East. Exhibitions featured paintings with images of exotic beauties and warriors on horseback. Wierusz Kowalski spent several weeks in Morocco, from where he brought back sketches and oil studies. After this trip, the artist enjoyed painting the people he met there, especially Bedouins on speeding horses. The painting on display is characterized by a bravura painting technique, typical of this period of his work. Painted with broad brushstrokes, it features a distinctive texture and retains the freedom of an impressionistic sketch. In the painting one feels the dynamism, depth and spatiality of the desert landscape. Attention is also drawn to the vivid, though sparing colors with strong accents of sharp sunlight.

The painting mentioned and reproduced in:

- "Tygodnik Ilustrowany" 1908, no. 29, p. 573 [ Before the Holy War - Fantazya].

- Report of the Committee of the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts in the Kingdom of Poland for 1908, p. 15 [Holy War];

- Moderne Ölgemälde. Nachlass Professor Alfred von Wierusz-Kowalski. München. Auktion in München in der Galerie Helbing, München 1917, p. 9, cat. no. 23 (inserted p.t. Beduinen-Scheikh and annotated: an der Spitze seiner Krieger auf Weißem Roß zum Angriff vorstürmend, Bez.: A. W. K. Öl auf Leinwand, 72 x 109 cm, Goldrahmen). il. tabl. V.

Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski (Suwałki 1849 - Munich 1915) - one of the most prominent Polish painters of the so-called Munich School was, next to Jozef Brandt and Władysław Czachórski, also the most popular of the Polish artists settled and permanently active in Munich. He settled there in 1873, having already studied in Warsaw and Dresden. He studied for a year more at Munich's Academy of Fine Arts under Alexander Wagner, before moving to Brandt's private studio. He gained critical and public recognition early on; his paintings, decorated with medals at exhibitions, were coveted by collectors and German dealers. In 1890 he became an honorary professor at the Munich Academy. He painted genre and genre-historical scenes with motifs of horsemen, knights, hunters, horses, wolves and snow. After a trip to Africa in 1903, he also took up oriental themes. Polish museum collections contained relatively few of the artist's works - his paintings sold mainly on the German market in greater numbers went to private collections, mainly in Germany and the United States. Present often appear also on the Polish art market, always arousing the interest of collectors.