Juliusz Fortunat Kossak (15 December 1824 – 3 February 1899) was a Polish historical painter and master illustrator who specialized in battle scenes, military portraits and

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

s. He was the

progenitor In genealogy, a progenitor (rarer: primogenitor; or ''Ahnherr'') is the founder (sometimes one that is legendary) of a family, line of descent, gens, clan, tribe, noble house, or ethnic group.. Ebenda''Ahnherr:''"Stammvater eines Geschlec ...

of an artistic family that spanned four generations,See list of Juliusz Kossak's descendants at " Kossak family", including second-, third- and fourth-generation painters, with links to individual articles. father of painter

Wojciech Kossak Wojciech Horacy Kossak (31 December 1856 – 29 July 1942) was a Polish Painting, painter and member of the celebrated Kossak family of artists and writers. He was the son of painter Juliusz Kossak, and twin brother of freedom fighter Tadeusz Ko ...

and grandfather of painter Jerzy Kossak.Jerzy Jan Lerski, Piotr Wróbel, Richard J. Kozicki
''Historical Dictionary of Poland, 966-1945''
See: Kossak, Juliusz and Wojciech; Greenwood Publishing Group, 1996, 750 pages, ,

Life

Juliusz Kossak grew up in Lwów Poland. He obtained a degree in law at the Lwów University encouraged by his mother. At the same time he studied painting with Jan Maszkowski and Piotr Michałowski.Irena Kossowska, Art Institute of the

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences (, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society of distinguished scholars a ...

(''Instytut Sztuki Polskiej Akademii Nauk'')
"Sylwetki, sztuki wizualne: JULIUSZ KOSSAK"
January 2005 Beginning in 1844 Kossak worked on commissions for the local aristocracy in Małopolska, Podolia and Wolyn.Artfact LLC Fine Art Auctions
About Juliusz Kossak, Biography
Artfact 1986–2009 He married Zofia Gałczyńska in 1855 and together they left for

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

where they spent five years. His sons were born there, the twin brothers: Wojciech and Tadeusz (on New Year's Eve 1856–1857) and the younger Stefan in 1858. The family came to

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

in 1860 where Kossak obtained a position as the head illustrator and engraver for ''Tygodnik Illustrowany'' magazine. They moved to

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

for a year and in 1868 settled in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

blessed with five children already. Kossak bought a small estate there, known as '' Kossakówka'', famed for artistic and literary

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

frequented by Adam Asnyk, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Stanisław Witkiewicz,

Józef Chełmoński Józef Marian Chełmoński (7 November 1849 – 6 April 1914) was a Polish painter of the Realism (art movement), realist school with roots in the historical and social context of the late Romanticism in Poland, Romantic period in partitioned Pol ...

and many others. Juliusz Kossak lived and worked there till the end of his life. In 1880 he was awarded the Cross of Order of Merit by Emperor Franz Joseph of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

for his lifetime achievements as an artist.

Work

Kossak exhibited his work on Polish soil and abroad since 1854. His preferred medium was watercolour, both in smaller and larger formats. He was the precursor of a Polish school of battle-scene painting, with his main subject matter revolving around what was of great concern to Poles opposing the military occupation of their country. He was the author of over a dozen

panoramic painting Panoramic paintings are massive artworks that reveal a wide, Panorama, all-encompassing view of a particular subject, often a landscape, military battle, or historical event. They became especially popular in the 19th century in Europe and the Un ...

s depicting Polish cavalry in battle and on military actions against foreign invaders. Kossak produced also a series of portraits in oil for Polish noble families including Fredro, Gniewosz, Tyszkiewicz, Lipski and Morstin clan. His rustic and pastoral scenes included horse fairs, country weddings, winter hunting excursions, mythological scenes and horse stables. He also produces a series of illustrations of Polish epic literature such as Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz, novels of Henryk Sienkiewicz, works by Wincenty Pol, Jan Chryzostom Pasek and others. He designed various honorary medals for Kraków foundries.

Gallery

Image:Ksiaze Jozef.jpg, '' Prince Józef Poniatowski'' File:Eustachy Erazm Sanguszko.jpg, '' Prince Eustachy Erazm Sanguszko'' Image:Kazimierz Pułaski pod Częstochową.PNG, '' General Kazimierz Pułaski'' Image:Kossak-Wierny towarzysz.jpg, ''Faithful Companion'' Image:King John III Sobieski blessing Polish attack on Turks in Vienna 1683.PNG, ''King

John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( (); (); () 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobieski was educated at the Jagiellonian University and toured Eur ...

blessing Polish attack on Turks in Battle of Vienna in 1683'' Image:Kossak Jul Rotmistrz pancerny.jpg, ''Rotmistrz Towarzysz pancerny'' Image:Berek joselewicz.jpg, '' Colonel Berek Joselewicz'' Image:Juliusz Kossak, Lisowczyk.jpg, '' Lisowczyk'' light-cavalryman Image:Ogniem i mieczem Henryka Sienkiewicza - album 1886 (58315384) (cropped).jpg, '' Longinus Podbipięta'' Image:Uhlan of the Polish National Guard in Lwów in 1848.PNG, '' Uhlan of the Polish National Guard in Lwów in 1848'' Image:Szwolezer.JPG, '' Polish Legions (Napoleonic-period) light horse'' Image:Attack of Krakusi on Russians in Proszowice 1846.jpg, '' 1846 Kraków Uprising'' Image:HetmanChodkiewicz.jpg, '' Hetman

Jan Karol Chodkiewicz Jan Karol Chodkiewicz (; 1561 – 24 September 1621) was a Polish–Lithuanian identity, Polish–Lithuanian military commander of the Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army, who was from 1601 Field Hetman of Lithuania, and from 1605 Grand Hetman of Lit ...

'' Image:Defending the Polish banner at Chocim, by Juliusz Kossak, 1892.jpg, ''Krzysztof Gniewosz defending the Polish banner at Chocim''

Bibliography

* Maciej Masłowski: Juliusz Kossak,

1984, ed. „Auriga” - Wydawnictwa Artystyczne i Filmowe (Art and Film Publishers, 2nd ed. - 1986, 3rd ed. - 1990) .

References

* Janusz Wałek, Józef Piłsudski Institute of America
Painting in Poland. A brief summary.
2002–2005 * Władysław Zawadski, Juliusz Kossak
''Obrazy Rusi Czerwonej''
with illustrations by Juliusz Kossak,

Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...

, Jan Konstanty Zupanski Publishing, 1869
Gallery of Kossak's paintings
* Maciej Masłowski, ''Juliusz Kossak'' "Auriga" Wydawnictwa Artystyczne i Filmowe 1984, Warszawa, * Stefania Krzysztofowicz-Kozakowska, ''Kossakowie'', Wydawnictwo Dolnośląskie,

Wrocław Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...

, 2001, *

, ''Wspomnienia'', Instytut Wydawniczy PAX, 1971 {{DEFAULTSORT:Kossak, Juliusz 1824 births 1899 deaths People from Bochnia County Artists from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria 19th-century Polish painters 19th-century Polish male artists Polish war artists Burials at Rakowicki Cemetery 19th-century painters of historical subjects 19th-century war artists Equine artists Polish male painters Participants of the Slavic Congress in Prague 1848

Life

Work

Gallery

Bibliography

See also

References