Leopold Pilichowski (March 23, 1869 – July 28, 1933) was a Polish

realist painter Realism in the arts is generally the attempt to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality and avoiding speculative and supernatural elements. The term is often used interchangeably with naturalism, although these terms are not ...

in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, active during the final years of the foreign

partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for 12 ...

. He was known for his commitment to

social commentary Social commentary is the act of using rhetorical means to provide commentary on social, cultural, political, or economic issues in a society. This is often done with the idea of implementing or promoting change by informing the general populace ab ...

and psychological depictions of Jewish themes and characters. In 1914, at the age of 45, Pilichowski emigrated to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. He served as president of the Association of Polish Jews in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. From 1926 until his death, he was also the president of the Ben Uri Art Society. His work can be found in the permanent collections of the National Museums in Kraków and

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 ...

and th
City Museum of Łódź
More representative work is held at the Jewish Museum of New York ("Sukkot").

Life

Pilichowski was born in

Piła Piła (german: Schneidemühl) is a city in northwestern Poland and the capital of Piła County, situated in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. Its population as of 2021 was 71,846, making it the third-largest city in the voivodeship after Poznań ...

near

Sieradz Sieradz ( la, Siradia, yi, שעראַדז, שערעדז, שעריץ, german: 1941-45 Schieratz) is a city on the Warta river in central Poland with 40,891 inhabitants (2021). It is the seat of the Sieradz County, situated in the Łódź Voivodes ...

in central Poland (some sources list the village of

Zadzim Zadzim (german: 1943–45 Scharhausen) is a village in Poddębice County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Zadzim. It lies approximately south-west of Poddębice and wes ...

close to Piła). He began his art education with painter Szmul (Samuel) Hirszenberg, his relative, in the nearby metropolitan city of

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 ...

. He continued art studies in Warsaw with Professor

Wojciech Gerson Wojciech Gerson (; July 1, 1831 – February 25, 1901) was a leading Polish painter of the mid-19th century, and one of the foremost representatives of the Polish school of Realism during the foreign Partitions of Poland. He served as long-time ...

(1886), then in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, at the

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute o ...

, and in Paris, at the

Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...

. While in France, he also exhibited his paintings for the first time. In 1894, he had his first solo exhibition in Łódź. Pilichowski settled in Łódź around 1894, and began to produce his first engaging paintings about Jewish life in an industrialized environment. He portrayed peddlers, migrants, exhausted travellers at railway stations and dignified mourners at funerals. He also depicted Jewish prayers, gatherings, festivals and holy days. Pilichowski became an active Zionist around 1908 and turned to political portraiture of Zionist leaders. He moved to Paris in 1904, and to London a decade later, with his wife and young children. He visited

Mandate Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...

in 1925. While there, he produced a monumental painting showing some 120 people for the opening of the

Hebrew University in Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

, a group portrait which included himself. Back in London, he also painted impoverished Jews from the

Whitechapel Whitechapel is a district in East London and the future administrative centre of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a part of the East End of London, east of Charing Cross. Part of the historic county of Middlesex, the area formed ...

district. Pilichowski was married to Lena Pilichowski in Poland and had 4 children while in France. He died in London either in 1933 (according to some), or more likely in 1934. Pilichowski was recognised as a ''Chevalier du Legion d'honneur'' by the French Government, for his services to France.

Selected paintings

File:Leopold Pilichowski Sukkot.jpg,

Sukkot or ("Booths, Tabernacles") , observedby = Jews, Samaritans, a few Protestant denominations, Messianic Jews, Semitic Neopagans , type = Jewish, Samaritan , begins = 15th day of Tishrei , ends = 21st day of Tishre ...

(Examining the

Lulav ''Lulav'' (; he, לולב) is a closed frond of the date palm tree. It is one of the Four Species used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The other Species are the ''hadass'' (Myrtus, myrtle), '' aravah'' (willow), and ''etrog'' (citron). Wh ...

) File:Leopold Pilichowski.jpg,

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day's ...

File:Leopold Pilichowski - Rysunek przy moście.jpg, Figure by the Bridge File:Leopold Pilichowski-Sztukmistrz.jpg, Mountebank

Notes and references

External links

ArtNet: More works by Pilichowski.3 artworks by Leopold Pilichowski
at th
Ben Uri
site {{DEFAULTSORT:Pilichowski, Leopold 1869 births 1930s deaths People from Poddębice County People from Kalisz Governorate Emigrants from Congress Poland to the United Kingdom British people of Polish-Jewish descent Realist painters Jewish painters 19th-century Polish painters 19th-century Polish male artists 20th-century Polish painters 20th-century Polish male artists Académie Julian alumni Polish male painters