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Church of Saint-Severin in Paris

Odo Dobrowolski

Basic information

ID: Г-II-224
Author: Odo Dobrowolski
Name: Church of Saint-Severin in Paris
Date of creation: 1908–1912
Technique: drawing
Material: paper pastel
Dimensions: 70 x 46 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 created during the artist’s first (1908–1909) or second (1911–1912) stay in Paris. The young painter depicted the oldest spiritual centre for students in Europe – the Church of Saint-Severin in the Latin Quarter. In the foreground of the composition is the north façade of the church (from Rue Saint-Séverin) with its two sacristies. In the middle ground, at the centre, rises the church’s magnificent bell tower with a pointed spire. The work is rendered in muted ochre and brown tones, making the white light of a lamp on the façade of the building opposite the church one of its distinctive accents. The Church of Saint-Severin (Église Saint-Séverin) is one of the best-known churches in Paris; its construction began in the 13th century. The church is located in the historic centre of the city, opposite the Island of the City (Île de la Cité).

Inscriptions

In the lower left corner, there is the author's signature and date of performance, “Paryż/ Odo Dobrowolski”, written in italics.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery