Looser

The National Museum in Szczecin has a collection of several paintings depicting the most popular motif in Juliusz Kossak's work - horses. The latest of these is Luzak [The Looser] from 1989. It is not the only painting with this title in the output of the father of the painter family depicting an unharnessed horse, which moves next to a rider on horseback. We know, among others, a painting from the Ossolineum Library in Wrocław (Luzak, 1876) or work with the same title from 1892 from a private collection. There are many more examples. This motif is presented in various contexts. Sometimes the background is insignificant, and sometimes a battle scene takes place in the background. The perspective of the horses and riders is also changing. The colouring also varies, from more realistic, complex, multi-coloured (for example, with blue standing out) to more limited to grey and brown tones (as in the case of Szczecin's Luzak). Most often, the artist meticulously depicts various types of costumes typical of soldiers and other riders. In the Szczecin painting, we can see a rider wearing a jacket with a fur collar with a cap on his head. In the centre of this composition, there are two horses and the rider. The background is relatively neutral; in the far background, there is an outlined village with the signature of a church among the trees. These paintings were very popular with the public, often bought, and included on widely available postcards or stamps. Reproductions of these paintings were repeatedly reproduced and found a place in many a home. There were also numerous faithful copies created, which also found their amateurs.

Beata Małgorzata Wolska