Józef Rapacki (19 March 1871, Warsaw – 31 January 1929, Olszanka) was a Polish painter, watercolorist and graphic designer; best known for his nostalgic landscapes of Mazovia.

Biography

He was born to a theatrical family; son of the actor, Wincenty Rapacki. His brother and sister also became actors.Brief biography
@ the Museum of Western Mazovia.

Jerzy Leszczyński Jerzy Leszczyński (1884–1959) was a Polish stage and film actor.Haltof p.232 Both his parents, and , were noted stage actors of the nineteenth century. He was married to the actresses and Anna Belina (1884-1974). Selected filmography * ''P ...

, the actor and director, was his nephew. He decided on a different course and, at the age of fourteen, enrolled in a drawing class taught by Wojciech Gerson. After completing Gerson's course, he entered the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied with

Izydor Jabłoński Izydor Jabłoński (born February 7, 1865 in Kraków, died November 13, 1905 therein) was a Polish painter, professor at the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, friend and biographer of Jan Matejko. Biography In the years of 1848 to ...

Florian Cynk Florian Stanisław Cynk (3 May 1838 – 10 October 1912) was a Polish painter, notably of religious subjects, and a prominent art teacher. He also worked as an illustrator. Biography He was born in Kraków and began his studies at the Jan Mate ...

and .Brief biography
@ Internetowy Polski Słownik Biograficzny. He initially painted landscapes, cityscapes and genre scenes. After a few more lessons with Gerson, he went to Munich in 1889, where he studied with the portrait painter

Conrad Fehr Conrad Fehr (November 19, 1854, in Toftlund, Duchy of Schleswig – June 22, 1933, in Berlin) was a German-Danish painter and sculptor. Life Conrad Heinrich Franz Fehr was born in the Danish village of Toftlund in 1854, ten years before it bec ...

for two years and was influenced by the Munich School. He returned to Warsaw, but continued to travel, making a major study trip to Italy around 1898. At this time, he began providing drawings for several periodicals in Warsaw, including the famous '' Tygodnik Illustrowany'', and illustrated works by Ignacy Krasicki. He also exhibited widely, including a showing at the

Exposition Universelle (1900) The Exposition Universelle of 1900, better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate developmen ...

. Shortly after, he developed a severe lung ailment and moved to Kraków, making it easier to take convalescent trips to the mountains. During the middle part of the 1900s, he moved about frequently, including stays in Zakopane and Szczawnica. In 1907, he finally decided on Olszanka, where he and his wife Gabriela built a house that became a gathering point for painters and writers. It was there that he concentrated on landscapes and produced some of his best-known works. During World War I, he made numerous drawings of events relating to the German occupation for the Warsaw press. Some of these were issued as ''Pro memoria. Prusak w Polsce'' (Prussian in Poland), a series of 20 lithographs that were used as propaganda during the Silesian Uprisings. He died of complications from

influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...

at the age of fifty-eight.

Selected paintings

Rapacki-Thaw.jpg, Spring Thaw File:Rapacki-Birches.jpg, Road Through the Birches File:Rapacki-Street.jpg, A Street in Kazimierz Rapacki-Autumn.jpg, Autumn

References

External links

ArtNet: More works by Rapacki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rapacki, Jozef 1871 births 1929 deaths 19th-century Polish painters 19th-century Polish male artists 20th-century Polish painters 20th-century Polish male artists Polish landscape painters Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts alumni Polish illustrators Artists from Warsaw Deaths from influenza Polish male painters

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links