Julian Fałat (1853 Tuligłowy - 1929 Bystra), Elk on the marshes, 1897.

oil, board, 26.6 × 53.9 cm
Signed and dated l. d.: "JulFałat 1897"

Provenance:
- Collection of the Rudziński family, owners of an estate in Osiek, where Julian Fałat was a frequent visitor.
- private collection, Poland

Fundamental to Julian Fałat's artistic oeuvre are two currents dominating his work, which at the same time constitute a recognizable feature of his works. We are, of course, talking about the so-called Fałat snows, depicting river bends, and the realizations devoted to hunting themes. Especially the latter category of works occupies an
an honorable place in Fałat's ouevre due to their importance in the development of the painter's artistic career. This category also includes vast landscapes with forests, clearings, marshes with animals depicted, in herds, but much more often individuals during their solitary wanderings. Elk - the king of the wilderness - was one of Fałat's favorite animals, whose silhouettes he very often depicted in his works. The artist introduces the figure of the animal into panoramic landscapes, often not being in the center of the composition, but being a coherent element of the landscape. The artist painted his first painting with a moose motif in 1891. In the painting on display, you can see how the animal's brown figure blends into the swamp landscape. A later version of the featured work is in the collection of the National Museum in Poznań (1899; oil, canvas, 96 × 192 cm).