Artur Markowicz

Artur Markowicz (1872 – 1934)^[1] was a Jewish realist painter and graphic artist born in Podgórze district of Kraków (Cracow), Poland. He is best known for his numerous pastels of street scenes in the historic Jewish town of Kazimierz – now one of the largest central districts of Kraków.^[2] His works can be found at the National Museum in Gdańsk, Kraków, Warsaw, and in other state museums in Poland and Israel.^[3]

Artistic career

Artur Markowicz, "Ray of sunlight in the street of Brugge", 1920

Markowicz studied with professors Leopold Loeffler, Florian Cynk and with Jan Matejko at the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts in 1886–1895. From 1896 until 1903 he traveled and studied art in Munich (with Franz Stuck), than in Berlin, and in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts. He also exhibited his paintings at the Salons of 1900, 1901, 1903 and 1904.^[4]

Markowicz returned to Kraków in 1906 and set up a studio in the historic district of Kazimierz. He traveled to Jerusalem in 1907–1908 where the Bezalel Academy just opened, and to other parts of Europe until 1914. His Jewish scenes and character-studies show a unique originality of his style influenced by symbolism with elements of expressionism. Markowicz died in Kraków in 1934 at the age of 62, and is buried at the local New Jewish Cemetery.^[2][4]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Artur Markowicz.