Walery Eljasz RADZIKOWSKI (1841-1905), Rider at a gallop, 1880

woodcut, paper, 14 x 20 cm (light frame); signed and dated on plate l. d.: Walery Eljasz 1880.

Jan Kanty Walery Eljasz-Radzikowski, used the name Walery (born September 13, 1840 in Cracow, died March 23, 1905 there) - Polish painter and photographer, popularizer of the Tatra Mountains and Zakopane, co-founder of the Tatra Society, author of Tatra guides.He painted mainly paintings of historical subjects, landscapes of the Tatra Mountains, also views of the monuments of Cracow, portraits, paintings and murals of religious subjects. During his studies, he and his classmates (including Alexander Kotsis) undertook plein-air trips, during which he painted sketches, landscapes and landscapes. He created not only on canvas, but also on natural ground, such as the painting of Our Lady of Skala on a limestone wall in the Mnikowska Valley. During expeditions to the Tatra Mountains, he recorded mountain views and customs of the highlanders in drawings and paintings.In 1890, he began to photograph the Tatra Mountains, local architecture, traditions of the inhabitants and their costumes. They served him as an aid to his paintings and drawings, and were also published in magazines, albums and in the form of postcards.