Portrait of Baroness Paulina Czechowiczowa, née Żukowska

The representation of Karolina Czechowicz, née Żukowska, is an example of the portrait art of Józef Pitschmann. The painter educated in Vienna, among others, in the atelier of J. C. Lampi st. and H. C. Brandt, painted mythological and historical scenes in the early years of his career. His composition from 1787, Herkules zwracający Admetowi oswobodzoną Alcestę [Hercules Returning the Liberated Alcesta to Admet], was awarded a gold medal and membership in the academy. Portraits constitute the majority of the artist's legacy. He made several images of Stanisław August Poniatowski and the imperial couple –Francis II with his wife – and several hundred portraits of representatives of the Polish aristocracy, nobility and bourgeoisie.

Pitschmann came to Poland in 1788 at the invitation of Józef Czartoryski to his residence in Korze in Volhynia. He remained here for the rest of his life, changing his place of residence several times. He lived in Warsaw and Lwów, and in 1806 settled permanently in Krzemieniec. By that time, he already had an established artistic position enjoyed fame and recognition among the general public. In the Lviv period alone, he painted around three hundred portraits of people connected with Lviv and eastern Lesser Poland. In Krzemieniec, he was appointed by T. Czacki as a teacher of drawing at a secondary school.

The portraits made by Pitschmann were maintained in the spirit of late classicism. The author did not idealise his models, he carefully recreated their appearance on canvas. Such realistic features can be seen in the portrait of Baroness Czechowiczowa. The woman is portrayed in a way typical for the neoclassical convention, i.e., a posed figure in a fashionable dress with a plunging neckline, with an elaborate shawl hanging over her shoulder, gathered on one forearm, just like in antique paintings. In the background, there is a fantastic English landscape, which gives the composition a sentimental and romantic character. It seems that the artist faithfully rendered the features of the sitter's face, without too much embellishment, which is indicated by such details as a prominent nose and pinkish complexion contrasting with the paleness of the body. The painter breathed life into the painted figure. The sophisticated use of colour, the intense juxtaposition of white, red and black, as well as the apt characterisation, testify to Pitschmann's sensitivity and uncommon talent.

Bożena Kasperowicz