Józef Marszewski

Józef Marszewski (Vilnius, c. 1827 – 1883) was a landscape painter of Polish-Lithuanian origin, born when Vilnius belonged to the Russian Empire. He matters chiefly for his views of Vilnius and its surroundings and for his travels through Europe.

He studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg from 1853 to 1856, where he won two silver medals for his paintings of the Neva and Revel. He became a friend of Ivan Shishkin there. After graduating he travelled widely, visiting Paris, Spain, Switzerland, Rome and the Tatra Mountains, which he painted in 1865 and 1866. From the late 1850s he worked mainly in Düsseldorf, where he trained under Andreas Achenbach.

His landscapes treat nature emotionally, aiming to convey the moods of the scene. He also painted religious subjects and portraits, and left many views of Vilnius, such as Gediminas Hill in Vilnius (1861) and Vilnius, Bernardine Gardens (1868). His works are held by the National Museum in Warsaw and the National Museum in Kraków.

He settled in Warsaw around 1872, but in 1873 he lost a large sum deposited in a bank, which led to a deep depression and later a mental illness. He died on 27 March 1883, probably in Warsaw, though some sources give Vilnius. His legacy lies in his landscapes of the Vilnius region and in his contribution to Polish-Lithuanian landscape painting.