Zygmunt Ajdukiewicz (22 January 1861 – 29 April 1917) was a Polish realist

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 ...

of the late 19th century specializing in portraits,

genre Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

and historical painting. Ajdukiewicz, was born and raised in the Austrian sector of Partitioned Poland, settled in the imperial capital upon the completion of his studies, but maintained a close connection with his homeland. While in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, he illustrated the epic novel ''The Deluge'' (''Potop'') by Polish Nobel Prize-winning novelist

Henryk Sienkiewicz Henryk Adam Aleksander Pius Sienkiewicz ( , ; 5 May 1846 – 15 November 1916), also known by the pseudonym Litwos (), was a Polish writer, novelist, journalist and Nobel Prize laureate. He is best remembered for his historical novels, especi ...

Biography

Ajdukiewicz was born in Witkowice near

Tarnobrzeg Tarnobrzeg is a city in south-eastern Poland (historic Lesser Poland), on the east bank of the river Vistula, with 49,419 inhabitants, as of 31 December 2009. Situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship (Polish: ''Województwo podkarpackie'') sinc ...

in south-eastern Poland. He studied painting at the

Kraków 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 ...

originally. From 1880 to 1882, he studied at the Academy of Vienna and, from 1883 at the

Munich Academy The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (german: Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, ...

under Johann Herterich, associated with the

Munich School Munich School ( el, Σχολή του Μονάχου) is the name given to a group of painters who worked in Munich or were trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Munich (german: Münchner Akademie der Bildenden Künste) between 1850 and 19 ...

of naturalism. He settled permanently in Vienna in 1885 as popular painter of the Austrian court where he was also referred to as Zygismund or Sigismund von Ajdukiewicz. In 1893 he went to Paris. Back in Vienna, he worked on a long series of original artwork for the 24-volume encyclopedia initiated and sponsored by Prince Rudolf as evidence of his imperial achievements (''Kronprinzenwerk''). It was a major publishing project printed in German and Hungarian between 1886 and 1902 under the title '' Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in Word and Picture''. Subsequent volumes were published long after Rudolf's death which took place in January 1889. Ajdukiewicz painted panels for the encyclopedia depicting various nationalities, ethnic groups and minorities represented in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. He also produced a series of 12 paintings about the life of

Tadeusz Kościuszko Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko ( be, Andréj Tadévuš Banavientúra Kasciúška, en, Andrew Thaddeus Bonaventure Kosciuszko; 4 or 12 February 174615 October 1817) was a Polish Military engineering, military engineer, statesman, an ...

published in 1892 as an art-album by F. Bondy. He made a life-size standing portrait of Archduke

Franz Ferdinand Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I. Fr ...

as a hunter (1913).

Recognition

Ajdukiewicz exhibited in Kraków, Warsaw, Lwów, Vienna, Berlin, Munich and Prague. His paintings received top awards at international art exhibitions including Gold Medal in Vienna and Gold Medal Second Class in Berlin in 1891, as well as the 1898 Gold Medal Second Class in Vienna and Silver Medal at the 1894 competition in Lwów (Lemberg). His works can be found in numerous museums and national art galleries across Poland such as the

National Museum in Warsaw The National Museum in Warsaw ( pl, Muzeum Narodowe w Warszawie), popularly abbreviated as MNW, is a national museum in Warsaw, one of the largest museums in Poland and the largest in the capital. It comprises a rich collection of ancient art ( Eg ...

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 ...

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

, state collections at the royal

Wawel The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established on ...

and, Museum of Upper Silesia in

Bytom Bytom (Polish pronunciation: ; Silesian: ''Bytōm, Bytōń'', german: Beuthen O.S.) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. Located in the Silesian Voivodeship of Poland, the city is 7 km northwest of Katowice, the regional capital ...

, but also at the Viennese

Historical Museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

. Ajdukiewicz was the first cousin of Polish

fin de siècle () is a French term meaning "end of century,” a phrase which typically encompasses both the meaning of the similar English idiom "turn of the century" and also makes reference to the closing of one era and onset of another. Without context ...

painter Tadeusz Ajdukiewicz who was nine years older than him. He died in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

in 1917.

Notes and references

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ajdukiewicz, Zygmunt 1861 births 1917 deaths People from Stalowa Wola County People from the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria 19th-century Polish painters 19th-century Polish male artists 20th-century Polish painters 20th-century Polish male artists Austrian people of Polish descent Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts alumni Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni Polish male painters

Biography

Recognition

See also

Notes and references