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Singer

Jozef Mehoffer

Basic information

ID: Ж-2170
Author: Jozef Mehoffer
Name: Singer
Date of creation: 1896
Technique: oil painting
Material: canvas oil
Dimensions: 192 x 132 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: portraiture genre art
Provenance: Collection of Lviv City Gallery
Exposition: Lozinski Palace

Information about author

Author: Jozef Mehoffer
Author in the original: Józef Mehoffer
Artist's lifetime: 1869–1946
Country: Austro-Hungarian Empire, Poland
Biography: Jozef Mehoffer possessed a versatile artistic talent. A master of easel and monumental painting, a stage designer, graphic artist, poster designer, and stained-glass and textile designer, he was one of the leaders of Polish Art Nouveau. This movement became known as "Young Poland" ("Młoda Polska"). Mehoffer was educated at the Faculty of Law of the Jagiellonian University, and in 1887–1894 studied at the School of Fine Arts in Kraków under the supervision of Izydor Jabłoński, Józef Unierzyski, Władysław Łuszczkiewicz, and Jan Matejko.
In 1889–1890, he continued his studies at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, and in 1891–1896 also refined his skills in Paris: initially at the Académie Julian and the National School of Decorative Arts (École Nationale des Arts Décoratifs), then at the Académie Colarossi under Joseph Blanc and Gustave Courtois, and from 1892 at the National School of Fine Arts (École Nationale des Beaux-Arts) in the studio of Léon Bonnat. From 1905, he was a professor at the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts, and later served as its rector.
Jozef Mehoffer was married to Jadwiga Janakowska and had a son, Zbigniew. The artist lived primarily in Kraków but also travelled extensively, notably to Italy and Switzerland. He achieved international recognition for his stained-glass windows, produced in 1895–1936 for the Gothic Collegiate Church of Saint Nicholas in Fribourg (Switzerland). The artist died of tuberculosis on 8 July 1946 in Wadowice and was buried at the Rakowicki Cemetery in Kraków. A museum dedicated to the artist was established in Jozef Mehoffer's house in Kraków, at 26 Krupnicza Street.

Object description

On the background of a light-coloured theatrical curtain, decorated with green floral ornamentation, is a full-length image of a woman. The woman's pose is somewhat theatrical: her head is turned to her right shoulder and is slightly raised; her right hand, holding a small bouquet of flowers, is lowered; and her left hand is at her waist. The woman is dressed in a pink blouse with fluffy "ruffles" on the chest and sleeves (girded with a wide green belt) and a long black skirt; a shawl with a floral ornament encircles the woman's waist, and both ends fall down on the skirt. Behind the singer's left shoulder, through a raised curtain, we can see a group of people: three men (one with red hair and two with dark hair), their eyes fixed on the woman standing on the stage. Behind the red-haired man, there is another woman depicted in a three-quarter turn to the right who, like the others, is contemplating the performance. The lady in the foreground is Wanda Janakowska, who was the sister of Mehoffer's future wife, Jadwiga. Wanda Janakowska is known to have studied singing in Paris (she later went to a monastery, where she remained for the rest of her life).

Inscriptions

In the bottom left is the author's signature: "Józef Mehoffer 1896".

Portrayed person