Konstanty Górski
1868–1934 · Polish painter and illustrator
Konstanty Górski (1868-1934) was a Polish painter and illustrator born in a Poland divided among partitioning powers and deprived of independence. His work, rooted in realism, belongs to the late nineteenth century and helps document the artistic life of his country in that period.
He studied painting at the Moscow school of fine arts and at the Petersburg Academy. After 1889 he continued his training in France, Italy and Munich. In 1895 he returned to his occupied homeland and settled in Warsaw, where he became active in the local artistic circle.
His paintings, strongly based on the realist ideals of the late nineteenth century, include numerous portraits, historical scenes and patriotic works depicting regional landscapes. As an illustrator he worked with Polish-language periodicals such as Wędrowiec (The Wanderer), Tygodnik Ilustrowany and Tygodnik Polski (The Polish Weekly).
Górski died in 1934, fifteen years after Poland regained its independence.