Tadeusz RYBKOWSKI (1848 - 1926), "Don waruj," 1908

oil, canvas; 27 x 39 cm;
Signed, dated and inscribed p. d.: "Don waruj" / To his friend Władysław Sadłowski / Tadeusz Rybkowski / 1908.

Provenance:
private collection, Poland

Tadeusz Rybkowski often took up hunting and animal subjects, treating them both in the form of extended scenes and intimate studies. The presented motif of a hunting dog in a vast landscape is part of it. The animal is captured in motion - in a pose of alertness (the so-called "standoff"), characteristic of a hunting dog, suggesting a moment of tension and concentration. The artist uses a sparing range of colors and synthetic modeling. The vast landscape, treated almost sketchily, serves as a background for the main motif - a study of the animal's behavior.

Unique to this work is the artist's personal dedication to his friend. Wladyslaw Sadlowski was an architect and professor at the Lviv Polytechnic. Interestingly, the painter had lived and worked in the city since 1893, so he had contact with the local artistic and academic community.