On Oder (Próżniak)

Julo Levin, born in the Szczecin family of a cloth merchant, was educated in Szczecin, Essen, Munich and Düsseldorf. In his works, Levin combined the experiences of German Expressionism (being inspired by the works of Johan Thorn Prikker, Heinrich Nauen, August Macke and Franz Marc) with the accomplishments of French post-Impressionists (Paul Cézanne) and Fauvists (André Derain). The artist’s works are characterised by the ability to eliminate details, striving for simplification of forms, deprived of modelling and frequently reduced to spatial forms, sensitivity to the spatial layouts, careful selection of motives and care for the colour harmony of the composition, confident brush strokes and impetus of painter’s gestures. He was active primarily in the Rheine region and visited Szczecin a number of times. In 1933, the works of Levin were labelled “degenerate art”; the painter was banned from being artistically active and displaying his works. In 1943, Levin was imprisoned once again and sent to the Auschwitz camp where he died. Thanks to the engagement of Mieke Monjau, a friend and wife of painter Franz Monjau, Julo Levin’s friend, some of his artworks have survived.The National Museum in Szczecin owns four works of the painter, presenting his hometown ˗ one oil painting and three watercolours. One of the small watercolours is two-sided. The composition on the verso presents a Szczecin flâneur sitting on a bench on the Hakenterrasse (currently the Chrobry Embankment) and admiring the picturesque view of the Oder and the Łasztownia River. The work on the other side is also a landscape. It presents a view of the Oder to the bank of the Łasztownia River with utility buildings and warehouses located there. In the foreground on the left hand-side, the artist presented a small three master ship with folded sails, moored at the bank. Both compositions are the testimony of happy holidays that Levin spent in Szczecin, carefree contemplation of well-known sites.

Dariusz Kacprzak