Stanislaw G£EK, Highlander with sheep

oil, canvas, 72.5 x 93 cm, signed l.m.: ST: Galek 1915.

Painter and sculptor, one of the most highly regarded Tatra landscapists. Studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow under J. Malczewski and J. Stanislawski, continued his studies at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Munich and the École des Beux-Arts in Paris. After returning to Poland, he settled in Zakopane. He was a member of the Podhale Art Society and the TZSP in Warsaw. He exhibited in Cracow, Lvov, Warsaw, Poznan, as well as abroad (Vienna, Berlin, Budapest). After the war, he participated in exhibitions in Zakopane. He was very popular as one of the best painters of the Tatra Mountains, his favorite region being the surroundings of Morskie Oko. He also painted seaside views, genre scenes and portraits, and sculpted and designed kilims for the Kilim Society in Zakopane.