Jan Chełmiński, FROM THE NAPOLEONIC CAMPAIGN

59.5 x 103.3 cm - oil on canvas

signed lower right: Jan V. Chelminski
On the reverse, on the crossbar and on the lower rail of the stretcher, a number (in blue crayon): J. 416;
in addition, an Agra-Art auction label from 2015 on the top rail of the frame

Jan Chełmiński (Brzustów near Opoczno, 1851 – New York, 1925), a popular painter associated with the circle of “Polish Munich artists,” began his studies with Juliusz Kossak, and then studied at the Drawing Class in Warsaw and in Munich—at the Academy under Alexander Strähuber and Alexander Wagner (1873–1875) and in the private studios of Józef Brandt (1875) and the battle painter Franz Adam (1876). After completing his studies, he lived permanently abroad—in Munich, London (1882, 1888–1899), and Paris (1899); he also traveled to St. Petersburg (1889) and New York (1884), where he later, around 1915, settled permanently. However, he did not sever ties with his homeland and often sent his works to exhibitions in Warsaw. His paintings were extremely popular. He painted primarily military scenes and battle scenes, most often from the era of the Duchy of Warsaw and the Napoleonic Wars, as well as genre paintings and hunting scenes. He was also active as a book illustrator; among other works, he illustrated a volume of hunting stories by Theodore Roosevelt. He was a collector of antique weapons and an outstanding expert on military uniforms. Many of the artist’s paintings are still located abroad—in England, Germany, and the United States. A few of them appear on the antique market, consistently arousing keen interest among collectors.