Edward Okuń (1872–1945) was a Polish Art Nouveau painter and freemason. He painted landscapes, portraits, designed covers and illustrated magazines, including the German magazine '' Jugend''. In his younger years he also competed as a racing cyclist in the Kingdom of Poland.

Biography

Okuń was born in 1872 to a noble family and was orphaned early. He grew up with his grandparents on the maternal side. After inheriting a large fortune, he soon began drawing lessons with great painters. In 1891 he studied at the Warsaw School of Drawing. From 1891 to 1893 he studied under the direction of Isidore Jablonski and Jan Matejko at the

Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts The Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków ( pl, Akademia Sztuk Pięknych im. Jana Matejki w Krakowie, usually abbreviated to ''ASP''), is a public institution of higher education located in the centre of Kraków, Poland. It is the oldest Pol ...

. He continued his studies in Munich and Paris. In 1897 Okuń went to study with Simon Hollósy who founded the

Nagybánya artists' colony The Nagybánya artists' colony was an art colony in Nagybánya, a town in eastern Hungary that became Baia Mare in Romania after World War I. The colony started as a summer retreat for artists, mainly painters from Simon Hollósy's ''szabadiskola' ...

. For the next 20 years he lived in Rome and also traveled to Sorrento, Amalfi, Capri, Venice, Padua, Ravenna, Florence and Siena. He participated in the life of the Polish art colony in Rome, and was co-founder of the Masonic lodge "Polonia". Okuń returned to Poland in 1921 and settled in Warsaw. From 1925 he was a professor in the School of Fine Arts. He was a member of the Society of Polish Artists. Together with his friends founded a Masonic lodge called "Copernicus". He was vice-president of the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts. During the annual opening of the Salon Incentives he witnessed the assassination of the first president of Poland,

Gabriel Narutowicz Gabriel Józef Narutowicz (; 29 March 1865 – 16 December 1922) was a Polish professor of hydroelectric engineering and politician who served as the first President of Poland from 11 December 1922 until his assassination on 16 December, five d ...

, by Eligiusz Niewiadomski. He helped apprehend Niewiadomski, along with one of the president's aides. During World War II he lived in Warsaw. After the Warsaw Uprising Okuń moved to

Skierniewice Skierniewice is a city in central Poland with 47,031 inhabitants (2021), situated in the Łódź Voivodeship (since 1999), previously capital of Skierniewice Voivodeship (1975–1998). It is the capital of Skierniewice County. The town is situat ...

, where he was killed by stray bullet in January 1945.

Art

In his paintings there are themes of a woman with long, wavy hair in Renaissance dresses which his wife posed for. He made the front wall murals of his own house at the Old Town Square. Edward Okuń - Motyle nocne.jpg, Night butterflies Edward Okuń - Musica Sacra 1915.jpg, Musica sacra Edward Okuń - Okładka Chimery 1902.jpg, „Chimera” cover Edward Okuń - Widok z okna 1905.jpg, Window view

References

1872 births 1945 deaths 19th-century Polish painters 19th-century Polish male artists 20th-century Polish painters 20th-century Polish male artists Polish male painters Polish civilians killed in World War II {{Poland-painter-stub