woodcut, paper, 41 x 36 cm
Set of four woodcuts in a common frame, 41 x 36 cm, signed on plate, from the portfolio Album of Fr. Kostrzewski, published by S. Lewental, 1893.
Franciszek Kostrzewski was a Polish realist and genre painter, illustrator, satirical cartoonist and caricaturist. He was the son of the steward of one of the noble palaces in Warsaw.
After the November Uprising, the family moved to a country estate in Sandomierskie Province while Franciszek returned to Warsaw to continue his education. However, after completing five grades of gymnasium, he lost interest in science; from an early age he was passionate above all about drawing and the study of nature. His plans for art were opposed by his father, but in 1844,18-year-old Kostrzewski enrolled in the new School of Fine Arts in Warsaw. He studied under Jan Feliks Piwarski, Chrystian Breslauer and Alexander Kokular, among others. During his studies he traveled around the country painting landscapes and genre scenes documenting the life of small towns of the time. In 1856, he spent several months in Paris. After returning to Poland in 1856, he began his illustration activities. His illustrations appeared in Warsaw magazines and he also illustrated books. Franciszek Kostrzewski is the author of one of the oldest Polish cartoons. It was "Historya Jedynaczka w 32 obrazkach", the first episode of which appeared in the third issue of "Tygodnik Ilustrowany" dated 3.X.1859.Kostrzewski is considered a forerunner of Polish comics.
