Teofil Kwiatkowski (1809-1891) - Seaside Scene with Women
watercolor on paper

An atmospheric watercolor from the period of the painter's stay in France depicting a seaside scene with three female figures, maintained in Teofil Kwiatkowski's characteristic soft, painterly manner and subtle color range. The artist focused on the poetic mood of the moment – ​​melancholic anticipation, contemplation of space and the sea. The reduced landscape, economy of means, and light glazes emphasize the romantic tone of the painting.
Kwiatkowski, an outstanding Polish Romantic painter associated with the Parisian emigration after the November Uprising for most of his life, is known primarily as a close friend of Fryderyk Chopin and the author of his portraits. However, his work also includes genre painting and scenes with atmospheric Romantic expression, of which the presented work is an interesting example.

Condition: traces of time, local abrasions and discoloration appropriate to the age of the work; original frame with some chips.

Biography:

Teofil Kwiatkowski (Pułtusk 1809 - Avallon in Burgundy 1891) - an outstanding representative of Romanticism in Polish painting - in the years 1825-1830 he studied painting at the Department of Fine Arts of the University of Warsaw under A. Brodowski and A. Blank. As an officer of the 4th Infantry Regiment, he fought in the November Uprising; After his defeat, he emigrated to France, where he remained for the rest of his life. Initially, he lived in Avignon, later in Paris. Here he continued his studies with A. Toussaint, P. Senties, J. L. Dulong, and L. Cogniet. He maintained close contacts with the émigré community, including the Czartoryski family, Adam Mickiewicz, Fryderyk Chopin, Cyprian Kamil Norwid, and Teofil Lenartowicz. He portrayed Chopin many times (including on his deathbed), to whom he also dedicated a large, symbolic composition, "Ball at the Hôtel Lambert - Chopin's Polonaise." He painted beautiful landscapes of Provence and Burgundy, saturated with a romantic aura. He produced oil paintings and numerous masterful watercolors – portraits, landscapes, genre scenes, patriotic scenes, costume scenes, and allegorical scenes. His works are distinguished by their exceptional coloristic qualities, emotional relationship with nature, and a typically Romantic penchant for fantasy and metaphor, often tinged with melancholy. The artist exhibited at, among others, the official Paris Salons (1839-1881) and also submitted his works to national exhibitions (1862-1873 at the Society of Fine Arts in Warsaw). His paintings, watercolors, and drawings are held at the Mickiewicz Museum in Paris, in the collections of the National Museums in Warsaw, Krakow, and Poznań, and others are in private hands in France. They are rare on the antique market.