Signed l.d.: Z. Pronaszko.
Zbigniew Pronaszko (Derebczyn near Jampol (Żychlin in Podolia ?) 1885 - Kraków 1958) - painter, graphic artist, sculptor and stage designer - began his artistic studies in Kiev, from where he soon moved to Kraków to study under Teodor Axentowicz and Jacek Malczewski at the Academy of Fine Arts there from 1906 to 1911. During his studies he traveled to Vienna, Munich, Florence and Paris. He spent the years of World War I in Zakopane. In 1917 he was a co-founder of the Polish Expressionist group (renamed Formists in 1919). After the war, from 1923 to 1925, he taught at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Stefan Batory University in Vilnius. He then lived in Cracow, teaching at the Free School of Painting of L. Mehofferowa, and from 1945 also at the Academy of Fine Arts. He painted landscapes, still lifes, figural compositions and portraits. In his early period, influenced by Jacek Malczewski, he created symbolist compositions, such as Brzemię, Pan, Złoty cielec, Bajka o śmierci (National Museum in Warsaw) or Wspomnienie and Portret matki (National Museum in Krakow), which are well known from their titles in catalogs. In his later, formist period, he drew inspiration from Cezane painting, Cubism and Polish folk art. Around 1925 he became interested in Colorism. In addition to easel painting, he was involved in stage design, sculpture (monument to A. Mickiewicz in Vilnius, 1922-24) and wall painting (Wawel plafonds, 1933-1934). He was an accomplished caricaturist, as well as an illustrator. He exhibited from 1907; including in Krakow, Lviv, Warsaw, Poznan and also in Pittsburgh (1931), Venice (1932), Paris (1922, 1928, 1937) and Vienna (1928), Brussels (1935). He was a member of the Society. Polish artists "Art" and participated in its exhibitions. He also exhibited with the groups "Zero" (1909), "New Generation" (1932), and belonged to the group "Zwornik".
