Władysław SKOCZYLAS (1883-1934), Janosik's Fight with the Dragon from the series Legends of the Tatra Mountains.

woodcut on paper, 13.5 x 15.5 cm

Woodcut on paper, 13.5 x 15.5 cm in light passe partout, 25 x 27 cm with framed passe partout;

Recognized as a founder of modern Polish woodcut, he also masterfully used watercolor.
Educated in Vienna and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow under Teodor Axentowicz and Leon Wyczółkowski. In Paris he studied sculpture with Antoine Bourdelle and in Leipzig, at the Academy of Graphic Arts (1912-13).
He exhibited together with the Formists. He was a co-founder of the Association of Artists "Rhythm". In 1922-34 he held the chair of graphic arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, and from 1932 was a professor at the academy. In his work, he readily drew on folk folklore, especially often the Podhale region. Oil paintings in the oeuvre of this artist are a great rarity.
His works represented Polish art at exhibitions in Helsinki (1927), Brussels (1925), Florence (1927), Vienna (1928), London (1930), Tokyo (1930), Chicago (1930), Venice (1932), Moscow (1933) and Buenos Aires (1933).In 1911 at the 1st Graphic Competition named after H. Grohman in Zakopane, he was awarded 1st prize (for his drypoint print "Profile of a Highlander"); at the 2nd edition of the competition in 1914, he won 1st prize in woodcut.In 1925, at the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris, he was awarded the Grand Prix; in 1928, at the International Art Exhibition in Amsterdam, he won a bronze medal. Posthumously, he was awarded the Officer's Cross and Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.