Jan Styka (1858 Lviv - 1925 Rome), Portrait of a man

oil, canvas, 60.5 × 46 cm
signed p. g.: "Jan Styka"

On the stretcher in pencil: "Johann Styka geb 1858 in Lemberg [...] 1879".

Beginning in the 1890s, Jan Styka created famous panoramas, of which the "Panorama of the Battle of Racławice" (1892-94) remains to this day. He was also involved in illustration - his most famous series included illustrations to Homer's Odyssey and Quo Vadis. The painter was a master of historical subjects, and it is these scenes that constitute the bulk of his extensive oeuvre today. Portraits appear far less frequently in his oeuvre, but perhaps that's why they represent an interesting area in his work. There are particularly few surviving works by the artist from his early period. The offered image of a man shows what a capable student he was. Maintaining the spirit of the period, the portrait depicts an elderly gentleman in a dark suit and gleaming white shirt, with his head turned toward the viewer. The thoughtfulness and dignity painted on the model's noble face, his attire and the way he is portrayed show the seriousness of the man portrayed.