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Jusef OleshkevichPolish artist
Country:
 Poland |
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Biography of Józef Oleszkiewicz
Józef Oleszkiewicz was a Polish artist, known for his paintings of historical, religious, mythological subjects, and portraits. He was born into a modest family in the town of Radoškoviči in the Minsk Governorate. With the support of Count Aleksander Chodkiewicz, Oleszkiewicz received his education. He graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Vilnius, where he studied under Franciszek Smuglewicz and Jan Rustem from 1798 to 1779 (according to other sources, he studied under Smuglewicz starting from 1800). From 1803 to 1806, he furthered his studies in Dresden and Paris, and he was a pupil of J.-L. David.
Early Career and Recognition
After returning from abroad, Oleszkiewicz worked in Volhynia and Vilnius. Following Smuglewicz's death in 1807, he attempted to take his place at the university. However, after an unsuccessful attempt in 1810, he settled permanently in St. Petersburg, where he painted, among other things, portraits of the imperial family. In 1812, his painting "Benevolent Care and Patronage of Empress Maria Feodorovna towards the Poor" earned him admission into the Imperial Academy of Arts. He was considered an extraordinary and virtuous person among the exiled Poles residing in St. Petersburg, as reflected in Adam Mickiewicz's "Exodus" in Part III of his poem "Pan Tadeusz". Oleszkiewicz gained particular prominence in St. Petersburg due to his high position within the Petersburg Freemasonry. In 1822, he was elected as the head (maître en chaise) of the White Eagle Lodge.
Legacy and Artistic Style
Oleszkiewicz's style of art was academic, influenced by late classicism with elements of sentimentality. He is the author of portraits such as "Portrait of Adam Jerzy Czartoryski and Hieronim Stroynowski" (1810) and "Portrait of Martin Poczobutt" (1810), which are preserved in Vilnius. Some of his famous works include "Farewell of Chodkiewicz and His Wife before the Battle of Hotin" (1808), "Antioch and Stratonice" (1810) exhibited at the Vilnius Art Museum of the Art Museum of Lithuania, "Benevolent Care and Patronage of Empress Maria Feodorovna towards the Poor" (1812) exhibited at the Russian Museum, "Portrait of Doctor of Medicine and Surgery Nikolay Fedorovich Arendt" (1822) exhibited at the Tretyakov Gallery, "Portrait of a Young Woman with a Child" (1824) exhibited at the Lviv Art Gallery, and "Portrait of Mikhail Kutuzov (Golenishchev-Kutuzov, Prince of Smolensk)" (1830s) exhibited at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.
Józef Oleszkiewicz was buried at the Smolensk Cemetery in St. Petersburg.
