Back

Lviv. St Mary’s Square

Odo Dobrowolski

Basic information

ID: Г-I-601
Author: Odo Dobrowolski
Name: Lviv. St Mary’s Square
Date of creation: 1907
Technique: drawing
Material: paper watercolour Indian ink
Dimensions: 29.8 x 31.8 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: graphic art
Genre: cityscape

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 the artist’s earliest urban landscapes, created before his trip to Paris. The view depicts St Mary’s Square from the north, along Hetmanska Street, where a red electric tram turns. Next to it, a wooden carriage drawn by a white horse forms one of the composition’s most prominent focal points. On the right of the foreground, directly on the cobblestones, stands a two-wheeled cart. Behind it, near the Fountain of the Virgin Mary, a small crowd of people is depicted. The artist emphasises the contrast between the elements of the foreground and the refined architectural ensemble of the square, among which the George Hotel stands out. The Adam Mickiewicz Monument (column) is only subtly visible, serving a secondary role within the overall composition. In terms of colour, bright tones – red, orange, beige, and white – are set against black ink areas representing the figures, tree crowns, and sculptural elements of the column, creating a striking tonal contrast.

Inscriptions

In the lower left part of the work, there is the author’s inscription, “30/08 07 Odo Dobrowolski/ 911 Lwów”, written in italics.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery