Janusz KOTARBIŃSKI (1890-1940), Gazda, 1923

linocut, paper, 19 x 14.5 cm (clear passe-partout), 30 x 24.5 cm (passe-partout); signed on panel p. d.: JK

Janusz Wiktor Kotarbiński (born July 30, 1890 in Golonóg, died January 13, 1940 in Zakopane) - Polish painter, visual artist and writer.Born July 30, 1890 in the village of Golonóg (now a district of Dąbrowa Górnicza), to Apoloniusz Eustachy and Matylda née Mętracki. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow.In 1919 he settled in Zakopane, where he became involved in cave research and the creation of an ethnographic collection. He donated this collection, consisting of utilitarian objects and women's ornaments, to the Tatra Museum in 1923.In the same year he wrote and published his hand-illustrated Tatra Novels. In 1924 he wrote a short story about knights sleeping in the Koscieliska Valley, at the same time he painted paintings on mountain and folk themes and Zakopane landscapes. He participated in many exhibitions, including with the Society of Friends of Fine Arts in Cracow. He organized painting exhibitions at the Polish Bazaar, and in 1925 joined the board of the "Podhale Art" Society. The work that brought him the greatest fame, but also contributed to the end of his painting career, is the polychrome and stained glass windows in the Holy Family Church in Zakopane's Krupówki. The realization was met with ostracism from the plastic arts community in Zakopane, which caused the artist to isolate himself. From 1934 until his death in 1940, he did not maintain any contacts with Zakopane artists.