Artists Illustrating Boys' Fashions: Kazimierz Mordasewicz (Poland, 1859-1923)


Figure 1.-- Kazimierz Mordasewicz seems to have primarily painted portraits for well-to-do Poles within the Russian Empire. We have not found many portraits of children. A good example of his upper-class clients was a portrait of Antoni Jozef (Jontek) and his brother Karol Benedykt (Karlo) in 1912 when they were, respectively 7 and 5 years old. Thgey are pictured with the enormous family ppoch--Lord. A third boy was born a few years later. We fate of two of the boys the boys is tragic. This was paintged such as Furope was going to explode in World War I.

Kazimierz Mordasewicz was born in Minsk (1859). At the time Minsk was a city of mixed ethnicity (Polish, Bylorussian, Polish, Russian, Ukranian, and Jewish) within the Tsarist Empire. After World War I abd yhe Polisg Soviet war in became a city in eastern Poland. Mordasewicz is primarily known as a portrait painter, but did some landscape, genre, and religious works mostly during his early period. As a young man he pursued a militry career. He then began an artistic career, an unusual transition. He entered the Warsaw School of Drawing (1881) and than studied under Wojciech Gerson and Aleksander Kaminski. He then entered the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. He was first recognized for his painting, 'Christ healing the blind' (1888). He received a small gold medal and the title "klassnyj chudoznik" second degree. Returning to Poland which was still part of the Tsarist Empire (1891). He founded a Warsaw studio portrait gallery. He received commissions from important Poles, including Henryk Sienkiewicz, Eliza Orzeszkowej, and Stefan Zeromski. He also did a portrait of Raymond Poincaré, an important French politican. Mordasewicz in addition to his paintings did illustrations. He exhibited at Towarzystwo Zachety Sztuk Pieknych (TZSP) and Warsaw saloons (Warsaw salons Alexander Krywult and S. Kulikowski, as well as the Towarzystwo Przyjaciól Sztuk Pieknych w Krakowie (The Kraków Society of Friends of Fine Arts--TPSP). He traveled an exibited in Europe (Vienna , Munich , Paris, Florence , Rome , Naples , Venice , and Switzerland). A trip to Spain left him infatuation with Velazquez. At the Universal Exhibition in Paris he recieved an award for 'Woman portrait' (1900). He favored pastels, but also with oils, ink, and watercolor. He seems to have porimarily painted prtraits for well-to-do Poles within the Russian Empire. We have not found many portraits of children. A good example of his upper-class clients was a portrait of Antoni Jozef (Jontek) and his brother Karol Benedykt (Karlo) in 1912 when they were, respectively 7 and 5 years old. The boys wear Fauntleroy outfits and elaborately styled hair. The suits are identical, with open neck lace collars. You do not see this in the Fauntleroy era (1885-1905), but we have seen similar outfits during the 1910s. While their suits ar identicl, their hair is done differently. The Jaroszynscy family was one of the richest in the Tsarist Empire. Their father made his fortune in sugar refining. This was paintged such as Furope was going to explode in World War I. Sometime suring or after the war, Mordasewicz moved to France. He died in Paris (1923).

Kazimierz Mordasewicz

Kazimierz Mordasewicz was born in Minsk (1859). At the time Minsk was a city of mixed ethnicity (Polish, Bylorussian, Polish, Russian, Ukranian, and Jewish) within the Tsarist Empire. After World War I abd yhe Polisg Soviet war in became a city in eastern Poland. Mordasewicz is primarily known as a portrait painter, but did some landscape, genre, and religious works mostly during his early period. As a young man he pursued a militry career. He then began an artistic career, an unusual transition. He entered the Warsaw School of Drawing (1881) and than studied under Wojciech Gerson and Aleksander Kaminski. He then entered the prestigious Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. He was first recognized for his painting, 'Christ healing the blind' (1888). He received a small gold medal and the title "klassnyj chudoznik" second degree. Returning to Poland which was still part of the Tsarist Empire (1891). He founded a Warsaw studio portrait gallery. He received commissions from important Poles, including Henryk Sienkiewicz, Eliza Orzeszkowej, and Stefan Zeromski. He also did a portrait of Raymond Poincaré, an important French politican. Mordasewicz in addition to his paintings did illustrations. He exhibited at Towarzystwo Zachety Sztuk Pieknych (TZSP) and Warsaw saloons (Warsaw salons Alexander Krywult and S. Kulikowski, as well as the Towarzystwo Przyjaciól Sztuk Pieknych w Krakowie (The Kraków Society of Friends of Fine Arts--TPSP). He traveled an exibited in Europe (Vienna , Munich , Paris, Florence , Rome , Naples , Venice , and Switzerland). A trip to Spain left him infatuation with Velazquez. At the Universal Exhibition in Paris he recieved an award for 'Woman portrait' (1900). He favored pastels, but also with oils, ink, and watercolor. He seems to have porimarily painted prtraits for well-to-do Poles within the Russian Empire. We have not found many portraits of children. Sometime during or after the war, Mordasewicz moved to France. He died in Paris (1923).

Jaroszynscy Brothers (1912)

A good example of Mordasewicz's upper-class clients was a portrait of Antoni Jozef (Jontek) and his brother Karol Benedykt (Karlo) in 1912 when they were, respectively 7 and 5 years old. The boys wear Fauntleroy outfits and elaborately styled hair. The suits are identical, with open neck lace collars. You do not see this in the Fauntleroy era (1885-1905), but we have seen similar outfits during the 1910s. While their suits ar identicl, their hair is done differently. The Jaroszynscy family was one of the richest in the Tsarist Empire. Their father made his fortune in sugar refining. This was painted just as Furope was going to explode in World War I. Here is a translation of aPolish assessment of the painting, "Mother of boys Jontek, Karla and Dina born in 1905, 1907 and 1915 had artistic talent and passion for photography. Made by her albums are a kind works of art. Dozens of photographs in two huge albums presents a happy childhood and youth sons had spent in a beautiful estate of and on numerous foreign trips. Some of the pictures were colored by his mother. Pasted photographs with marked with a flourish signatures create interesting compositions. Small boys according to contemporary fashion dressed in dresses, in this case, perhaps a bit exaggerated and too long a time, as if her mother had dreamed also of daughters. Their costumes were more girls than clothing colleagues, which can be seen on shared photos. Even when he grew up, still they wore long hair twisted in curls and wide collars with bows and fontaziami. So they were also introduced to the image painted by Kazimierz Mordasiewicz. This large-format portrait adorned the living room Babinski court. Made in 1912, three years before the birth of the youngest Dina, showed the addition Jontek and Karla their favorite enormous dog Lord." [Okołowicz] Their younger brothrr Dino was born 2 years after this portraot was taken (1915). As for many Poles and Russians, tragedy struck with World War I. The family lost much of their fortune, but because Poland gained its independence, they were spared the hoorors of Bolshevism. They did not, however escaspe the Bolsheciks when Hitler and stalin lunched World War II. Jontek and Dino, who had just finished his legal studies, were part of the Polkish Army that fought the German invasion (1939). They were casptured by the Soviet Red Army and interned in Starobelsk, ultimately murdered by the NKVD in Kharkov. This was a murder operation known in the West as the Katyn Massacre of Polish officers. . Brother Karlo, who has previously lived abroad, was married and had a small child, he joined the fight (1940). He joined the Syria Carpathian Rifle Brigade which was renamed the Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade commanded by Gen. Stanisław Kopariski. It became 3rd Carpathian Rifle Division (1942, part of the Polish II Corps of Wladyslaw Anders Army which fought with the British in North africa and Italy. . . Karlo - Charles Benedict Jaroszyński in 1932. Married Marie Inkinen, with whom he had two sons, Tadeusz and

Sources

Okołowicz, Stefan, "Three brothers Jaroszyńscy" Interia nowa historia (April 29, 2014).







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Created: 7:53 PM 10/24/2016
Last updated: 7:53 PM 10/24/2016