Game hunt

The painting depicts a game hunt in a forest, in winter, before sunrise. The author of the painting is Julian Fałat, a famous Polish watercolour painter. Niasviž, which belonged to the Radziwiłł family, was often the scene of big game hunts. One such hunt took place in February 1886, to which Fałat was invited and where he met Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, later Emperor Wilhelm II. The meeting resulted in the artist being invited to Berlin, where he became the emperor’s court painter (until 1895). This was not the only result of the hunt, as from then on, Fałat became a master of hunting scenes, always depicted in winter, but in several variants – a chase, trumpeters, chasing a bear out of its den, spearmen (hunting the bear), an encampment, or return from the hunt. The Łańcut painting is this type of painting; a very similar version can be found in the National Museum in Warsaw. The picture is painted in pastels, with very diverse colours of the dark trees, overlaid with navy blue shadows, white snow with colourful reflections, and the colourful outfits of the hunters. In these scenes, the main characteristics of the impressionist way of looking at the landscape are evident – at various times of day, in various lighting, and with the characteristic application of paint (whether watercolours, gouaches, or, as in this case, pastels). These paintings enjoyed great popularity.