Julian MASZYŃSKI (1847-1901), Birth of an heir of the Nowina coat of arms

Oil, canvas, 85 x 122 cm. signed p.d.: J Maszyński, 1892.

Julian MASZYÑSKI (1847-1901). Polish painter, draughtsman and illustrator, member of the "Munich school". In 1865-1869 he studied at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the Warsaw Central School, at the same time he took private painting lessons from W. Gerson. In 1871-1873 he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich under H. Anschütz, K. Piloty , A. Strähuber and A. Wagner until 1873. In 1874, he returned to Warsaw. In 1876 he went to Paris where he painted in the studio of Polish painter Jan Rosen. He settled permanently in Warsaw, becoming one of the most popular representatives of the local artistic community. From 1881 he was a member, and from 1883 vice-president, of the Committee of the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts. In 1899 he was among the co-founders of the Union of Painters, Sculptors and Architects. He also taught painting in his studio. In 1880 he married Stanisława Koskowska, sister of Mikolaj Kotarbinski's wife. He became the owner of the landed estate Mokra Wieś near Radzymin bordering Kotarbiński's Chrzęsno, where he spent the summer months. In 1891 he hosted Władysław Podkowiński on an open-air painting trip lasting several months. He painted genre scenes of family and social life of the aristocracy, nobility, rich bourgeoisie in costumes worn from the 16th to the beginning of the 19th century, which were very popular, as well as landscapes and scenes of village life. He made pencil, chalk or ink drawings for many magazines, depicting portraits, folk types and monuments with an inventorying flair. His works are in the National Museums in Warsaw, Cracow and Poznan, as well as the Lithuanian Museum of Art.