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St Mary's Square in Lviv

Odo Dobrowolski

  • St Mary's Square in Lviv
Basic information
ID
Г-IV-5170
Author
Odo Dobrowolski
Name
St Mary's Square in Lviv
Date of creation
1915
Technique
colour autolithography
Material
imprint on paper
Dimensions
38.3 x 28.7 cm (height x width)
Additionally
Type
printmaking
Genre
landscape
Information about author
Author
Odo Dobrowolski
Author in the original
Odo (Otton) Dobrowolski
Artist's lifetime
1883–1917
Country
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Biography
Odo (Otton) Dobrowolski (1883, Chernivtsi – 1917, Kyiv) was a Lviv artist of Polish–German origin, primarily known as a master of graphic art and lithography, as well as an exceptional watercolourist and pastellist.
He was born into the family of Józef Dobrowolski, an official at the Austrian governorship of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, and Eugenia Wittich. The artist was likely named after Otto the Great, the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. After graduating from a gymnasium in Lviv, in the mid-1900s he studied in Kraków as a non-degree student at the Academy of Fine Arts.
Between 1908 and 1909, thanks to the support of the painter Jan Styka, Dobrowolski lived in Paris, followed by a brief stay in Munich. Upon returning to Lviv, between 1909 and 1910, the artist executed an oil decorative panel for the confectionery of Gabriela Zapolska – a famous playwright, actress, and one of the most prominent figures of the local bohemian elite. In 1911–1912, he worked in Paris once again. Following his return to Lviv, during the Russian occupation of the city during the First World War, he created a highly popular series of ten lithographs.
In June 1915, alongside the retreating Russian forces, the artist departed for Kyiv, where in 1917 the 34-year-old master died under unresolved circumstances.
The creative heritage of Odo Dobrowolski encompasses numerous cityscapes featuring views of Lviv and Paris, alongside portraits, interior sketches, and nature studies. His works are held in Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery, the National Museum in Kraków, the National Library and the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, as well as in private collections.
Object description
One of ten works from a lithographic series depicting views of Lviv, created during the russian occupation in the winter of 1915. The artist portrays St Mary's Square with the monument to Adam Mickiewicz, seen from the south-west. In the centre of the composition, two military vehicles move along a snow-covered street. On the left are dark figures of city dwellers. Against the subdued background, the illuminated volume of the poet’s monument stands out clearly. The light in the windows brings to life the gloomy cityscape, rendered in muted grey tones.
Inscriptions
In the lower-left corner, there is an inscription "Odo Dobrowolski 915 Lwów" in italics: the author's signature, date, and place of performance of the work.
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

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