Piotr Michałowski (July 2, 1800 – June 9, 1855) was a Polish painter of the

Romantic period Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

, especially known for his many portraits, and oil studies of horses. Broadly educated, he was also a social activist, legal advocate, city administrator and President of the Kraków Agricultural Society (since 1853). The

Sukiennice Museum The Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art at Sukiennice ( pl, Galeria Sztuki Polskiej XIX wieku w Sukiennicach), is a division of the National Museum, Kraków, Poland. The Gallery is housed on the upper floor of the Renaissance '' Sukiennice'' Cloth H ...

, a division of the

National Museum in Kraków National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ...

, contains a room that is named after him and devoted to Michałowski's work.

Career

Michałowski was born at an estate in Krzysztoforzyce outside

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula, Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland un ...

, the son of landowner Józef Michałowski, senator in the Free City of Kraków. His artistic talent developed at an early age of 13 under the watchful eye of several artists including Michał Stachowicz, Józef Brodowski (1817) and Franciszek Lampi. He formally studied a broad range of subjects at the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University ( Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university in ...

including classical philosophy, agriculture and mathematics. During the

November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in W ...

against the Russian rulership, Michałowski helped run a Polish munition factory. To avoid capture, he escaped to Paris, France with his new wife Julia Ostrowska and her father. While in Paris, he continued his studies of painting and anatomy with Nicolas Toussaint Charlet (1832–1835), greatly influenced by the art of

Théodore Géricault Jean-Louis André Théodore Géricault (; 26 September 1791 – 26 January 1824) was a French Painting, painter and Lithography, lithographer, whose best-known painting is ''The Raft of the Medusa''. Although he died young, he was one of the pi ...

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally cons ...

and Velázquez. His watercolour studies of horses became very popular in France, sold by local art dealers since 1833 to English, German and American collectors. Michałowski returned to Kraków in 1835 and in 1837 settled into his family estate in Krzysztoforzyce. In the 1840s and 1850s he produced numerous equestrian paintings and dramatic landscapes including his famous Romantic "

Battle of Somosierra The Battle of Somosierra took place on 30 November 1808, during the Peninsular War, when a combined Franco-Spanish- Polish force under the direct command of Napoleon Bonaparte forced a passage through a Spanish Divison stationed at the Si ...

" (1844–1855, several versions), "Parade before

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

" and other battle sites. When

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

visited

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

in 1948, he saw Michałowski's work at the

Warsaw National Museum The National Museum in Warsaw ( pl, Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie), popularly abbreviated as MNW, is a national museum in Warsaw, one of the largest museums in Poland and the largest in the capital. It comprises a rich collection of ancient art ...

and shouted, "Here, painter!"

References

Maciej Masłowski Maciej Masłowski (January 24, 1901 – August 17, 1976) was a Polish art historian. Biography Masłowski was born in Warsaw. He was a son of painter Stanisław Masłowski (1853–1926) and piano teacher Aniela born Ponikowska (1864–1940). Af ...

: ''Piotr Michałowski'', Warsaw 1957, ed. „Sztuka”; * Maciej Masłowski: ''Piotr Michałowski'', Warsaw 1974, ed. „Arkady” (in series „W kręgu sztuki” - "In the Circle of Art", also German version: Berlin 1974, ed. Henschel Verlag und Gess.); * Jerzy Sienkiewicz: ''Piotr Michałowski'', Warsaw 1959, ed. "Auriga - Wydawnictwa Artystyczne i Filmowe" (Art and Film Publisher).
Selection of works including bio
at Artyzm.com
Piotr Michalowski
at Cracow Life.com (in English)
Somosierra - Piotr Michałowski
at Culture.pl {{DEFAULTSORT:Michalowski, Piotr 1800 births 1855 deaths Burials at Rakowicki Cemetery 19th-century Polish painters 19th-century Polish male artists Equine artists Polish male painters

Career

See also

References