Seweryn Leopold Obst (29 December 1847 – 2 January 1917) was a Polish painter, illustrator, and

ethnographer Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject o ...

Life

Seweryn Obst was born in Berezów Niżny, now ,

Kosiv Raion Kosiv Raion ( uk, Ко́сівський райо́н, translit=Kosiwśkyj rajon) is a raion (district) of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast of Ukraine. The city of Kosiv is the administrative center of the raion. Population: . Subdivisions On 18 July 2020 ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. Seweryn Obst attended several local schools throughout Galicia and

Volhynia Volhynia (also spelled Volynia) ( ; uk, Воли́нь, Volyn' pl, Wołyń, russian: Волы́нь, Volýnʹ, ), is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between south-eastern Poland, south-western Belarus, and western Ukraine. Th ...

, then in 1864 went to study at the Academy of Fine Arts, in Vienna, where he studied with

Karl von Blaas Karl von Blaas (28 April 1815 – 19 March 1894) was an Austrian painter known for his portraits and religious compositions executed on canvas as well as in the form of frescoes. Biography Carl Von Blaas was born to a peasant family at Nauders in ...

and Eduard von Engerth. He also took private lessons from

Christian Ruben Christoph Christian Ruben (November 30, 1805 – July 9, 1875) was a German painter. Born in Trier, Ruben studied in Düsseldorf under Peter von Cornelius from 1823, and in 1826 settled in Munich, where he worked on the designs for the new stain ...

.Brief biography
from Famous Lvovians @ Mój Lwów. In 1874 he returned home and made his living painting portraits for noble families, including the Buhosevyches of

Bukovina Bukovinagerman: Bukowina or ; hu, Bukovina; pl, Bukowina; ro, Bucovina; uk, Буковина, ; see also other languages. is a historical region, variously described as part of either Central or Eastern Europe (or both).Klaus Peter BergerT ...

and the Zadurovyches of

Tlumach Raion Tlumach Raion ( uk, Тлу́мацький райо́н, translit=Tłumaćkyj rajon) was a raion (district) of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (region) in Ukraine. The city of Tlumach was the administrative center of the raion. The raion was abolished ...

. From childhood he had a fondness for the

Hutsul The Hutsuls (sometimes the spelling variant: Gutsuls; uk, Гуцули, translit=Hutsuly; pl, Huculi, Hucułowie; ro, huțuli) are an ethnic group spanning parts of western Ukraine and Romania (i.e. parts of Bukovina and Maramureș). They ...

region, and he settled there for several years, living in

Verkhovyna Verkhovyna ( uk, Верхови́на, translit=Verchovyna; before 1962, uk, Жаб'є, pl, Żabie) is an urban-type settlement located in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast in western Ukraine. Verkhovyna serves as the administrative center of Verkhovyna R ...

and

Yaremche Yaremche ( uk, Яре́мче, translit=Jaremče, pl, Jaremcze or Jaremcza) is a city in Nadvirna Raion, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (province) of west Ukraine. The city is located at the altitude of around above mean sea level. Yaremche hosts the ...

. He not only painted scenes from the lives of the Hutsuls, but also collected folk stories and objects and did ethnographic studies. With some of what he saw, he created two albums of sketches of decorative motifs from metal-working, carving, weaving, and embroidery. These albums were presented to the in Lwów. He moved to Lwów (now

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

, Ukraine, then officially ''Lemberg'') in 1883 and created illustrations for numerous books about peasant arts and crafts. Some were used by Wołodymyr Szuchewycz in his notable study of the Hutsuls. Until 1898, he maintained a workshop where he also taught painting. He exhibited throughout the region and in London. After 1910, he lived in a retirement home for artists. A major retrospective was held in 1912. He died in Lemberg.

References

External links

*''Wyroby metalowe włościan na Rusi'' (Peasant Hardware in

Rus Rus or RUS may refer to: People and places * Rus (surname), a Romanian-language surname * East Slavic historical territories and peoples (). See Names of Rus', Russia and Ruthenia ** Rus' people, the people of Rus' ** Rus' territories *** Kievan ...

) by with illustrations by Obst
Full text online
* ''Wyroby włościan na Rusi'' (Peasant Crafts in

) by Ludwik Wierzbicki with illustrations by Obst
Full text online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Obst, Seweryn 1847 births 1917 deaths 19th-century Polish painters 19th-century Polish male artists 20th-century Polish painters 20th-century Polish male artists Polish portrait painters People from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast Polish ethnographers Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni Hutsuls Polish male painters

Life

See also

References

External links