watercolor, pencil, paper, 42.5 x 36.5 cm (in light of passe-partout)
Signed p.d.: A. Kozakiewicz 188[.]
Antoni Kozakiewicz (Krakow 1841 - Krakow 1929) began his study of painting in Krakow, where between 1857 and 1866 he studied at the School of Fine Arts under W. Łuszczkiewicz and F. Szynalewski. In 1863 he enlisted in the ranks of the uprising, took part in the battle of Miechow, and was later briefly imprisoned for his participation in the uprising. In 1868 he went to Vienna and studied at the Academy there. At an academic exhibition in 1870, his painting Pro Deo et Patria, or Grandfather's Teachings , was awarded first prize . In 1871 he received an imperial scholarship and went to Munich. Here he shared a studio with Franz Streit and Alexander Kotsis, friends still from his Krakow days. Together with them he often went on "painting trips" to the mountains of Bavaria. He also traveled to Hungary. He also often came to Poland, finding motifs for genre paintings here. The artist spent almost thirty years in Munich, and his paintings, sought after and commissioned by Kunsthandlers, enjoyed success in Germany, England, France, Australia and the United States. In 1900 he returned to the country permanently, settled in Warsaw and then in Szczawnica. In the earlier period Kozakiewicz painted urban views, he was preoccupied with literary motifs and historical scenes. He also often reached for insurrectionary themes, either drawn from his own memories(The Unexpected) or inspired by the art of A. Grottger(Three Generations). However, he primarily painted genre paintings - scenes from the life of Polish villages or small towns, often including highlanders and gypsies. He also created portraits and scenes with children's characters - sentimental compositions with elaborate anecdotes, often further emphasized by the title(Kiss or I won't let you go, Don't beep Jasiu, you'll go lulu, First steps). These paintings were widely liked, they were awarded at exhibitions and reviewers noted that "there is always freshness of thought in them, charm, warmth, details deliciously finished, composition devised gracefully." Earlier works are characterized by a high degree of artistry, canvases from a later period no longer reached this level and were often repetitions of earlier compositions.
