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Portrait of Seweryn Obst

Odo Dobrowolski

Basic information

ID: Г-II-203
Author: Odo Dobrowolski
Name: Portrait of Seweryn Obst
Date of creation: 1907
Technique: drawing
Material: paper on wood panel pastel
Dimensions: 38 x 40.5 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: portraiture
Provenance: Museum of Jan III Sobieski in Lviv Courtesy of Helena Dabczanska

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 portrait of the artist Seweryn Obst was executed by Odo Dobrowolski on 27 December 1907 to commemorate the 60th birthday of the celebrated painter. It is a shoulder-length profile portrait, showing the artist with thoughtful eyes, a fine straight nose, wavy hair brushed back, and a beard already touched with grey. The jubilarian is depicted in festive attire – a suit jacket, tie, and shirt with a white collar. On the left, a hand holding a brush is visible, rendered with long, slender fingers. It is the hand of the portrait subject, depicted as perceptive and deeply psychological. Seweryn Obst (1847–1917) was a Galician painter and ethnographer of Polish descent. He was born in the village of Nyzhnii Bereziv (former Berezów Niżny) in the Kosiv region and received his early education in the Hutsul region. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. Obst painted Hutsuls and collected Hutsul folk crafts. From 1883 he lived in Lviv. He died at the age of 69 in a home for the elderly.

Inscriptions

In the upper left part of the work, there is the author’s signature, dedication, and the date “Odo Dobrowolski / Sewera / w 60 rocznicę urodzenia./ 27/12 07” written in italics. On the back side there are several handwritten numbers and 2 labels. On the largest label the text “Muzeum Narodowe im. Króla Jana III we Lwowie / z daru Helena Dąbczańskiej. No inw. 202” is printed in ink. In the middle there is the inscription “Dobrowolski Odo: / Portrait of an Obsta, / art.-nal./ Pastel / 38 x 40.5” written in ink.

Portrayed person