Jan Styka (1858 Lviv - 1925 Rome), Sketch for "Christ the Teacher"

pencil, paper, 38 × 25 cm in light passe-partout

Provenance:
Collection of the family of Paul Schlockoff.
Private collection, Poland

This is a sketch for Jan Styka's painting "Christ Teaching" also known from the presented woodcut "Christ Teaching" (in the collection of the National Museum in Cracow, ryt. Edwar Nicz (1851-1916) according to the original by Jan Styka, reprod. "Kłosy" R.1888, no. 1196, p. 345) "The painting was created in the 1880s in Cracow, probably in the studio of Jan Matejko, commissioned by the Evangelical parish in Lodz. It was placed in the main altar of the church belonging to it, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist. After World War II, when the church passed into the hands of the Jesuits, Styka's canvas was placed on the right balcony. The composition is undoubtedly inspired by the Sermon on the Mount, the most important scene of Christ's teaching, regarded as a code of Christian morality, which was most extensively and probably most faithfully described by St. Matthew, (Matthew 5:1-7, 29). Styka's painting does not contain direct allusions to the numerous parables quoted by the Evangelist and delivered by Jesus at the time. He puts things in the simplest terms: the monumentally portrayed figure of Christ-orator on a rock, is surrounded by listeners. Among them we see disciples, mothers with children and a young girl. The engraving was made by Edward Nicz, a wood engraver and Warsaw publisher. He was one of the most talented illustrators of his time. He reproduced mainly works by contemporary Polish painters and illustrators, which he presented at many exhibitions in Poland and abroad and published in Warsaw and St. Petersburg magazines. Excellent in terms of technique, they are characterized by soft lines and skillful use of chiaroscuro effects" (Lucyna Lencznarowicz, MNK, digital collections).

The drawing comes from a legacy of about 100 drawings preserved in the collection of Paul Schlockoff - Adam Styka's closest friend (son of Jan Styka). After emigrating to the United States in the late 1940s, Adam Styka entrusted Paul with the management of his Parisian affairs, the sale of various paintings and also the sale of his apartment at Place Pigalle 5. He also told him about his daily life and members of his family. The fruits of this friendship are the surviving drawings and paintings of both Jan Styka and his sons, as well as a rich correspondence between both Paul Schlockoff and Adam, as well as Wanda and Doris Styka (Tadé's wife). From some sixty letters we learn many details. Adam Styka wrote to Paul about his stay in Arizona in 1948, which changed his work as a painter. As he wrote in the letters: "for 2 months I was with my wife in Arizona, where I painted a lot, I am delighted with the light there, the landscape and especially the cowboys with horses. So that temporarily away from Africa, you could say that I switched to American subjects." Other letters mention the death of his mother (Jan Styka's wife), the potential sale of a painting by Tadé Styka to the Louvre, or the construction of the Crucifixion Hall in California, which is to house a monumental painting by Jan Styka.