Signature p.d.: Mikuliczyn 1890 | S. DĘBICKI
Provenance: family collection.
He liked to paint children, knew how to feel their souls, understand the separate world of their interests.
Feliks Kopera, History of Painting in Poland in the XIX and XX century, Krakow 1929, p. 526
After studying in Vienna, Cracow and Munich, Dębicki returned to Kolomyja around 1885. Before he left for his next studies - to Paris, he spent a few years in that city, where there was a fairly large colony of artists-painters. Dębicki took a job as a teacher at the School of Ceramic Industry (1886-1890). During this period, he often traveled to nearby Hutsul towns and villages - Stryj, Gwoździec, Delatyn, Mikulyn, Zabi, Tyszkowce. During his trips, learning about the richness of Hutsul culture, he made many sketches and drawing notes, as well as - the offered work. Little Hutsul was probably an important painting for the artist, as it never left his studio until the end of his life, while it has remained in the family collection until now. The painting was undoubtedly highly appreciated by his contemporaries, as it was reproduced in the jubilee album "Art", and today is considered one of the most important works in the artist's oeuvre.
The painting mentioned and reproduced in:
- Zofia and Tadeusz Z. Bednarski, Krakowskie szlakiem Stanisława Dębickiego, Oficyna Wydawniczo-Drukarska "Secesja", Krakow 2009, pp. 55, 136-137, il. 78;
- Tadeusz Dobrowolski, Nowoczesne malarstwo polskie, vol. II, published by Ossolineum, Wrocław-Kraków 1960, pp. 305-306, il. 208;
- Sztuka 1897-1922, Kraków [1922], il. p. nlb;
- Piotr Łukaszewicz, Stanisław M. Dębicki, [in:] Słownik artystów polskich i obcych w Polsce działających: malarze, rzeźbiarze, graficy, T II, Wrocław 1975, p. 46.
Stanislaw Dębicki (Lubaczow 1866 - Cracow 1924) - painter, draughtsman, illustrator - began his studies in painting with Ch. Griepenkerl at the Vienna Academy (1881-1884), then studied under W. Luszczkiewicz at the School of Fine Arts in Cracow, then again in Vienna, and in 1884 with A. Wagner at the Academy and privately with P. Nauen in Munich. After returning to Poland, he worked for several years as a teacher at the School of Ceramic Industry in Kolomyja (1886-1890). During this period, he often traveled to nearby Hutsul towns and villages - Delatin, Mikuliczyn, Zabi, Tyszkowce - where he made many sketches and drawing notes. In 1890-1891 he was in Paris and still attended the Académie Colarossi. He later settled permanently in Lviv, from where he moved to Krakow in 1909 to take up the chair of decorative painting at the Academy of Fine Arts. He was a member of the Society of Polish Artists "Sztuka", the Viennese "Secession", the Union of Polish Visual Artists and TPSP in Lviv. He painted in oil, watercolor and pastel, creating landscapes and portraits (including many children's portraits) and above all, genre scenes from the lives of Hutsul and Galician Jews. He was involved in decorative painting, illustration and various applied arts, occasionally also stage design and sculpture.
The artist's work was recalled in the only major monographic exhibition held at the Silesian (now National) Museum in Wroclaw in 1966.
