Jan Antoni Blank (6 May 1785, in

Olsztyn Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini'' * Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...

– 20 February 1844, in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

) was a Polish painter in the Classical style who specialized in portraits and miniatures; many of which are in a style similar to

Biedermeier The ''Biedermeier'' period was an era in Central Europe between 1815 and 1848 during which the middle class grew in number and the arts appealed to common sensibilities. It began with the Congress of Vienna at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in ...

. He often signed his paintings as Jan Antoni Blank-Białecki

Biography

He was born to the owner of a textile factory, but was orphaned at an early age and raised by the local postmaster. At the age of fifteen, he was apprenticed to Józef Kosiński, who had been a

court painter A court painter was an artist who painted for the members of a royal or princely family, sometimes on a fixed salary and on an exclusive basis where the artist was not supposed to undertake other work. Painters were the most common, but the cour ...

for King

Stanisław II August Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, a coastal village in Kherson, Ukraine * Stanislaus County, Cali ...

. He remained in Warsaw until 1809, when he moved to

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

, where he studied with the Austrian painter,

Josef Grassi Josef Grassi (22 April 1757 – 7 January 1838) was an Austrian portrait and history painter. His middle name is usually given as "Maria", although there is evidence that it was actually "Mathias".Michael Lorenz Wien 2012 He is also called "Giuse ...

.Brief biography
@ Encyklopedia Warmii i Mazur. Upon returning to Warsaw in 1815, he became curator of the plaster casts and drawing teacher of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the

University of Warsaw The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...

. In 1819, he was appointed a professor. After the university was closed in 1831, he gave private lessons and did restorative work. In addition to his portraits, he created works on religious and mythological subjects and did ceiling

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es. Together with his students, he painted decorations at churches throughout

Warmia Warmia ( pl, Warmia; Latin: ''Varmia'', ''Warmia''; ; Warmian: ''Warńija''; lt, Varmė; Old Prussian: ''Wārmi'') is both a historical and an ethnographic region in northern Poland, forming part of historical Prussia. Its historic capitals ...

; including

Reszel Reszel (german: Rößel; Prussian: ''Resel'' or ''Resl'') is a town in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northeastern Poland. As of 2012 the population was 4,896. A small medieval town situated in the historical Warmia region, Reszel possesses ...

, where he did an altar painting of Saint Catherine, and Saint James Cathedral in Olsztyn, where he painted "

Our Lady of Sorrows Our Lady of Sorrows ( la, Beata Maria Virgo Perdolens), Our Lady of Dolours, the Sorrowful Mother or Mother of Sorrows ( la, Mater Dolorosa, link=no), and Our Lady of Piety, Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Our Lady of the Seven Dolours are names ...

". He also organized exhibitions in the Palaces of Nieborów and

Królikarnia Królikarnia (in English, "The Rabbit House") is a historic classicist palace in Warsaw, Poland; and a neighborhood in the Mokotów district of Warsaw. Since 1965 the palace has housed a museum dedicated to Polish sculptor Xawery Dunikowski. Hi ...

.Biographical notes
@ Onet (Portal Wiedzy). His most notable portraits are those of Abraham Stern,

Stanisław Kostka Potocki Count Stanisław Kostka Potocki (; November 1755 – 14 September 1821) was a Polish nobleman, politician, writer, public intellectual and patron of the arts. Life Potocki was a son of General and starost of Lwów, Eustachy Potocki and An ...

and General Jan Teodor Kobylański (1777-1851). Among his best known students were

Rafał Hadziewicz Rafał Hadziewicz (13 October 1803, Zamch – 7 September 1883, Kielce) was a Polish painter; primarily of portraits and religious works, and an expert on ancient culture. Biography From 1816 to 1822, he attended the Royal Lyceum (formerly ...

, Jan Feliks Piwarski,

Antoni Brodowski Antoni Stanisław Brodowski (26 December 1784, Warsaw – 31 March 1832, Warsaw) was a Polish painter in the Classical style. Biography According to the wishes expressed in his father's will, he began by studying mathematics.January Suchodolski January Suchodolski (; September 19, 1797 – March 20, 1875) was a Polish painter and Army officer, and a member of the Imperial Academy of Arts. Life Suchodolski was born in Grodno and was the brother of Rajnold Suchodolski. He joined the ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blank, Antoni 1785 births 1844 deaths Polish painters Polish male painters Polish portrait painters Academic staff of the University of Warsaw Religious artists People from Olsztyn Artists from Warsaw Emigrants from the Kingdom of Prussia to Poland

Biography

References

Further reading

External links