Edward Okuń (1872–1945) was a Polish

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

painter and

freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. 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 Jan Alojzy Matejko (; also known as Jan Mateyko; 24 June 1838 – 1 November 1893) was a Polish painter, a leading 19th-century exponent of history painting, known for depicting nodal events from Polish history. His works include large scale ...

at the

Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts The Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków (, usually abbreviated to ''ASP''), is a public higher education, institution of higher education located in the centre of Kraków, Poland. It is the oldest Polish fine art academy, established in 1 ...

. He continued his studies in Munich and Paris. In 1897 Okuń went to study with

Simon Hollósy Simon Hollósy (2 February 1857 – 8 May 1918) was a Hungarian painter. He was considered one of the greatest Hungarian representatives of 19th-century Naturalism and Realism. Hollósy was not highly productive as an artist and was more im ...

who founded the Nagybánya artists' colony. 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 people, Polish professor of hydroelectric engineering and politician who served as the first president of Poland from 11 December 1922 until Assassination of Gabriel Na ...

, 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 45,184 inhabitants (2023), situated in the Łódź Voivodeship. It is the capital of Skierniewice County. Through the town runs the small river Łupia, also called Skierniewka. Located in the hist ...

, 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