Julian Fałat (1853 Tuligłowy - 1929 Bystra), Before the hunt

oil, duplicated canvas, 68 × 108 cm
Signed l. d.: "J. Fałat"

Provenance:
- Collection of Dr. Lech Siuda (1909-1997)
- private collection, Poznan

"Hunting scenes became one of the most important subjects in Julian Fałat's work. Individually interpreted, they aroused the admiration of the public and critics. (...) Fałat's paintings enjoyed such great popularity probably because hunting and gamekeeping was an important element of Polish noble culture. The artist's hunting compositions were also fascinated by Henryk Sienkiewicz, a bard of Sarmatism. Fałat was not interested in the type of hunting par force, so popular in Polish painting of the 19th century, but rather in the individual reactions of people and the tension that accompanied them. Among the rich set of works, several thematic groups can be distinguished, which he repeatedly depicted: the hunting trip, the chase, the hunters' rest and the return from the hunt. The first compositions were created in 1886 during his stay in Nesvizh, at the famous hunt arranged for Prince William of Prussia." (Anna Król, "Julian Fałat", [exhibition catalog] Stalowa Wola 2010, pp. 54-55)