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Bernardine Church, View From the East

Odo Dobrowolski

Basic information

ID: Г-II-246
Author: Odo Dobrowolski
Name: Bernardine Church, View From the East
Date of creation: 1914
Technique: drawing
Material: paper on cardboard pastel
Dimensions: 52 x 48 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
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

The work was executed in the winter of 1914. The artist presents a view of the historic monastic complex extending westward from the beginning of Lychakivska Street. The urban veduta is depicted in the late evening light. Above the crenellated wall of the fire brigade building (later demolished) are visible the upper part of the former monastery wing and the roof of the Bernardine Church apse. In the upper part of the composition, against a cloudy sky faintly illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun, the eastern gable of the church nave and the tall bell tower dominate the scene. On the left, in the foreground, are the walls of the former monastery of the Poor Clare nuns, highlighted by the light of a solitary street lamp. The movement of a horse-drawn carriage along the snow-covered street enlivens the overall scene. The work is executed in dark, tense tones.

Inscriptions

In the lower right corner, there is the author's signature, place of creation, and date written in italics: “O Dobrowolski Lwów/ 914”.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery