Aleksander Orlowski
Aleksander Orlowski (1777–1832) was a Polish
painter and sketch maker, pioneer of lithography in the Russian
Empire.
Orlowski was born in 1777 in Warsaw to a humble
tavern-keeper. Since early childhood he became known as a prodigy
and soon Izabela Czartoryska financed his first classes of painting
with the notable artist Jan Piotr Norblin. In 1793 Orlowski joined
the Polish Army and fought in the Kosciuszko Uprising against Imperial
Russia and Prussia, but was wounded and returned to Warsaw for further
studies, financed by Prince Józef Poniatowski. He studied
with many notable painters of the epoch, among them Norblin, Marcello
Bacciarelli and Wincenty Lesserowicz. After the Partitions of Poland
in 1802 he moved to Russia, where he became one of the pioneers
of litography.Among his works are countless sketches of everyday
life in Poland and Russia, as well as scenes of Kosciuszko Uprising
and other Polish wars.
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