Erwin Elster (born May 8, 1887 in Korszów, died April 16, 1977 in

Gdańsk Gdańsk ( , also ; ; csb, Gduńsk;Stefan Ramułt, ''Słownik języka pomorskiego, czyli kaszubskiego'', Kraków 1893, Gdańsk 2003, ISBN 83-87408-64-6. , Johann Georg Theodor Grässe, ''Orbis latinus oder Verzeichniss der lateinischen Benen ...

) was a Polish

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...

, and the co-founder of the Society of Artists "Świt" (''Towarzystwa Artystów Plastyków "Świt"''). Erwin Elster completed his studies 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 ...

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

between the years of 1907 to 1912; where he was taught by Wojciech Weiss, Julian Fałat, and

Józef Pankiewicz Józef Pankiewicz (29 November 1866, in Lublin – 4 July 1940, in La Ciotat) was a Polish impressionist painter, graphic artist and teacher who spent much of his career in France. Biography From 1884 to 1885, he studied at the School of Fine Ar ...

. He completed his artistic studies by which he was awarded one silver medal, and two bronze medals, as well as scholarships to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. For a year, between 1912 and 1913, he completed his further studies at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in

. After travelling back to

in 1913, he began his career as an artist, while undertaking his life as a

, where he made his artwork and taught for the next sixty years. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he spent his time in Bystra, where he resided with Julian Fałat. From this time, many of his

watercolour Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage ...

paintings come from, as well as his landscape paintings of the region, and its architecture. Between the years of 1919 to 1954, he lived in

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

where he taught and made his artwork. He taught painting and drawing at the

University of Fine Arts A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which rou ...

, and from 1922 at the

Faculty of Architecture This is a list of architecture schools at colleges and universities around the world. An architecture school (also known as a school of architecture or college of architecture), is an institution specializing in architectural education. Africa ...

at the University of Technology in

. He has also been active with the artists of region, co-founding the Society of Artists "Świt" (''Towarzystwa Artystów Plastyków "Świt"''), in which he exhibited his work since 1927. The first members of ''"Świt"'' were:

Fryderyk Pautsch Fryderyk Pautsch (22 September 1877, Deliatyn - 1 July 1950, Kraków) was an Austrian-Polish painter; associated with the Young Poland movement. Life and work In 1898, he began his studies in jurisprudence at the University of Lemberg (now th ...

, Adam Ballenstedt, Bronisław Bartel, Wiktor Gosieniecki, Stanisław Jagmin, Mieczysław Lubelski, Władysław Roguski, Stefan Sonnewend, and Jan Jerzy Wroniecki. In the 1920s, he had taken part in the

Formalism Formalism may refer to: * Form (disambiguation) * Formal (disambiguation) * Legal formalism, legal positivist view that the substantive justice of a law is a question for the legislature rather than the judiciary * Formalism (linguistics) * Scient ...

movement, and had been part of the

Society of Polish Artists "Sztuka" The Society of Polish Artists "Sztuka" ( pl, Towarzystwo Artystów Polskich "Sztuka"; Sztuka means Art in Polish, artyzm means artistic abilities) founded in 1897 in Kraków, was a gathering of prominent Polish visual artists from around the turn o ...

(''Towarzystwo Artystów Polskich "Sztuka"''). In 1928, he had been part of

's ''"Plastyka"'', following which he had also been part of the ''"Jednoróg"'' (''Cech Artystów Plastyków Jednoróg''), ''"Awangarda"'' (''Awangarda Krakowska''), and with the

Lwów 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 ...

's ''"Nowa Generacja"''. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he co-founded the

Association of Polish Artists and Designers The Association of Polish Artists and Designers (, ZPAP) is an official association of professional artists in Poland, representing more than 8,500 learned artists working in the field of visual arts, including: painting, sculpture, graphic design, ...

(''Związek Polskich Artystów Plastyków''), he also continued his work as a

, where he was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Technology in

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of canti ...

. During

Socialist realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...

, the artist took part in a didactic role. In 1954, he moved to

, where he was a

lecturer Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...

at the University of Technology in

. In 1957, he was awarded with the

Knight's Cross Knight's Cross (German language ''Ritterkreuz'') refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that often denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield. Most frequently the term Knight's Cross is used to refer to the Knight's Cr ...

(''Krzyż Kawalerski''). In 1960, he retired as a professor, however he continued to work at the institution. In 1967, for his eightieth birthday and sixty-fifth anniversary of him being an artist, he was given an award by the

Ministry of Culture and National Heritage Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego) is a governmental administration office concerned with various aspects of Polish culture. It was formed on 31 October 200 ...

. He died in

, on April 16, 1977.

Gallery

File:Erwin Elster Flisacy.jpg, ''Flisacy''
(1922) File:Synek, 1923, Erwin Elster.jpg, ''Synek''
(1923) File:Elster Saint Tropez 1925.png, ''View of the Sea in Saint Tropez''
(1925) File:Rybak, 1926, Erwin Elster.jpg, ''Rybak''
(1926) File:Erwin Elster Akt IV.JPG, ''Akt IV''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elster, Erwin 1887 births 1977 deaths People from Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast 19th-century Polish painters 19th-century Polish male artists 20th-century Polish painters 20th-century Polish male artists People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Polish male painters