Dimensions: 35.5 x 55.5 cm
signed, dated, and inscribed lower right: 'Rafał Malczewski. 1943 | Canada'
On the reverse: stamps from a framing company in New York and an auction label
Provenance
Agra-Art, December 2012
Private collection, Poland
Biography
Born in Kraków, he studied philosophy, architecture, and agronomy in Vienna. His passion for painting and art was instilled in him by his father, Jacek Malczewski, a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. In 1917, two years after graduating, Malczewski moved to Zakopane, where he became a member of the artistic and intellectual elite. He joined the Podhale Art Society to support the idea of grounding Polish art in local folklore. Beginning in 1925, he created set designs for the Formist Theater. In 1930, he traveled to France, where he returned after the outbreak of World War II, making his way through Slovakia, Hungary, and Italy. In 1940, he fled to Brazil via Spain and Portugal; after two years of painting landscapes in Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba, he moved to the United States and then settled in Montreal. He extensively explored the landscapes of Canada and the United States in search of inspiration for his paintings. In 1959, he visited Poland, but despite his longing for his homeland, he did not decide to return permanently. A stroke he suffered in 1957 prevented Malczewski from continuing to paint in oils, but he continued to work in watercolors. His last exhibition took place in 1964, and he died in Montreal a year later.
