Signed l.d.: F Wygrzywalski Roma 1899.
on the reverse on the left loom strip a sticker (in violet pen): 400 | F. Wygrzywalski | Symbolic Scene.
In 1893 Feliks Wygrzywalski passed his exams and was accepted as a student at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts in Prof. Herterych's department. He studied with great passion, while delving into the history of art. He received as many as four awards for his drawings of nudes. Wygrzywalski's nudes were so successful that they were included in the academy's collection. After studying in the painting class of C. Marr and studies at the Paris Académie Julian eventually decided to seek beauty at the source of "great art" - in Italy. Having returned to Munich, he could no longer find himself there. So he decided to go to Italy a second time. In 1900 Wygrzywalski finally settled in Rome.
Nymph is one of the artist's earliest works presented so far. With the form of posing of the model, the artist came close to classical Italian statues. However, the color scheme was still deeply influenced by the Munich school. The background is a rocky coast plunged into the darkness of night. Only the soft moonlight illuminates the alabaster skin of a voluptuous woman and the cascade of long blond hair wrapping her figure.
Nudes were Wygrzywalski's forte as early as his college years, and later became his trademark. Beautiful naked women on the seashore remained one of the main motifs of Wygrzywalski's work.
Feliks Michał Wygrzywalski (Przemyśl 1875 - near Rzeszów 1944) studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich under J.C.Herterich and K.Marr in 1893-98. He supplemented his studies at the Académie Julian in Paris. Already during his studies he traveled to Italy, and after 1900 he lived in Rome for several years. In 1906 he traveled to Egypt. In 1908 he settled permanently in Lviv. In 1909-14 he worked in the local theater as a stage inspector. He traveled to Italy several more times. He was a realist painter; in his earlier period of work he leaned towards naturalism and strong expression. He attached great importance to lighting effects and used a rich, vivid color palette. In his early paintings, he often depicted human labor(Burlacy) or dramatic events and social tensions(Strike, Bread to Us Hungry). He also painted portraits, nudes, seascapes, landscapes from Italy and Ukraine. After his trip to Egypt, oriental motifs and themes recurred in his paintings(Prayer of the Arabs, Carpet sellers). He was involved in decorative wall painting, including designing and later executing allegorical murals for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Lviv in 1908. He was involved in printmaking, illustrated books and magazines, designed stained glass windows, costumes and theater decorations (including for Peer Gynt, Irydion, November Night).
