Biography:
Adolf Kazimierz Hyła (born May 2, 1897 in Biała near Bielsko, died December 24, 1965 in Kraków) - Polish painter, author of the most famous image of Merciful Jesus. He was the son of Józef and Salomea née Szałkiewicz, brother of Antoni, a sculptor (1908–1975). In 1929 he married Maria Zalipska. In the years 1903-1912 he attended junior high school in Kraków. He continued his education in Chyrów, where he passed his high school final exams in 1917. In 1922 he studied art history and philosophy at the Jagiellonian University. He learned drawing and painting from Jacek Malczewski. In 1930, he passed an exam for a drawing teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, and in 1936, an exam for a teacher of practical classes at the Institute of Handwork in Warsaw. In the years 1918-1920 he served in the Polish Army. In the years 1920-1936 he taught drawing in junior high schools in Będzin, and in the years 1936-1939 and 1945-1948 practical classes in junior high schools in Kraków. In his work, he focused mainly on religious themes. He copied paintings by Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Carlo Dolci and others. His works include the following paintings: The Heart of Jesus (for the main altar) and Saint Joseph for the Jesuit church in Poznań, Saint Joseph with the Child and Saint Teresa for the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw, The Soul of Christ for the sisters of the Soul of Christ at Prądnik in Kraków, Saint Jerome for priest prof. Jan Czuj in Warsaw (1946). Adolf Hyła's most famous work is the painting Jesus, I Trust in You, which he painted for the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Krakow Łagiewniki in 1944. The first painting of Merciful Jesus, painted with the participation of Sister Faustina in Vilnius by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski before World War II, was found after the war. in the USSR and due to the threat it was hidden for decades. In 1943, the second image, five years after Sister Faustina's death, was painted by Adolf Hyła for the sisters in Łagiewniki as a vote of thanks for saving the family from war accidents. Even though he had a reproduction of Kazimirowski's work and a description from the "Diary", the artist painted his own version of the image. However, the size of this painting did not match the altar in the sisters' chapel, so Mother Irena Krzyżanowska ordered a second painting from him. It was ready in 1944 and after its consecration it was placed in the monastery chapel in Krakow, where it is worshiped to this day. With the spread of the cult of Divine Mercy, copies of this third visualization, with the words "Jesus, I trust in You", are spread all over the world. The author himself repeated this topic 260 times, painting pictures for churches in the country and around the world. Adolf Hyła also painted several dozen portraits (including Brother Albert Chmielowski, Józef Piłsudski, Capuchin provincials: Kazimierz Niczyński) as well as a number of landscapes (including Forum Romanum 1931, Church on Obidowa 1934, Slope of Świnica with Czarny Staw Gąsienicowy 1936, Czarny Dunajec in Witów 1937, Kraków Gorge in the Kościeliska Valley 1947, Seascape in Orłowo 1947, Wybrzeże Sopockie 1958).
"The most famous painting by a Polish painter in the world was not created by the masters of Olga Boznańska, Aleksander Gierymski, Jacek Malczewski or Jan Matejko. Its author was Adolf Hyła (1897–1965), a modest, pious Krakow drawing teacher. An inconspicuous painter from Łagiewniki, Jacek Malczewski's student, standing among the distant ranks of average artists, became one of the most famous and recognizable Polish painters," writes Father Prof. Andrzej Witko, an outstanding Krakow expert on the cult of Divine Mercy and the cult of Saint Faustina, about him.
Adolf Hyła himself remains one of the most enigmatic figures in the Polish art history of the last century, despite the fact that it was his vision of Divine Mercy that became the most popular and most widespread in the entire Christian world, thanks to millions of copies and reproductions of the painting "Jesus, I Trust in You".

Picture description

The painting has a standing rectangular plan and shows a portrait of a girl. A charming young brunette, with a gypsy type of beauty - prominent lips, big eyes and jet black curly hair. It is a beautiful, realistic portrait, painted with incredible care and attention to detail. It was probably the girl's phenomenal beauty that prompted the artist to immortalize her in the painting. On the back of the painting there is an inscription in pen: "Mróz ...... Jadwia from Łobzów JG m. 4 Ip." - perhaps these are the personal details of the person portrayed. The subject of the painting indicates that we are probably dealing with a pre-war work, because the artist devoted the last quarter of his life mainly to religious themes.
The painting has documented provenance. This painting was titled by the artist "Gypsy". It was a gift from the artist to the grandmother of its previous owner - Mrs. Aleksandra Łukowicz from Łagiewniki, who was a friend of the painter. This painting is mentioned on page 103 of the book entitled Adolf Hyła - painter in the service of Divine Mercy.
This book was written by Fr. Piotr Szweda MS, who worked in Łagiewniki for several years and is engaged in exploring the achievements of this extraordinary artist.
Parameters and state of preservation
Technique: pencil, charcoal on cardboard. Dimensions: 34.5x46 cm. Dimensions including frame: 51.5x63 cm. Signed in pencil ld "A. Hyła". On the back there is an inscription in pen: "Mróz ...... Jadwiga from Łobzów JG m. 4 Ip." The painting is behind glass, framed in a beautiful wooden frame with decorative ornaments. Condition of the painting: good. The frame has some defects and cracks - visible in the photos. The painting is ready to hang.