Teodor AXENTOWICZ (1859–1938), Portrait of the Artist’s Daughter—Jadzia

pastel on paper; 97 x 52.5 cm (inside frame);
signed lower right: T. Axentowicz;
on the reverse, a sticker from an antiquarian bookshop on Mazowiecka Street in Warsaw (the sticker is stained with black ink).

Teodor Axentowicz was an outstanding painter and printmaker at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, associated
with the Young Poland movement. He studied, among other places, in Munich and Paris, and later became a professor
and rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. In his work, he combined the influences of Realism and Impressionism, devoting particular attention to portraiture and genre scenes, often inspired by the culture of the Hutsul region. His works are characterized by subtle coloration, a decorative quality, and an ability to convey the mood and psychology of his subjects.
In the portrait of little Jadzia, the artist captured not only his daughter’s physical likeness but also the model’s delicacy and pensive expression. The painting is characterized by soft tonal transitions and a lightness of form, which emphasize the intimate, personal nature of the depiction.
Although the artist rarely explicitly identified family members in his works, it is known that he also created other portraits of children (including a portrait of his son—“The Artist’s Son in a Blue Dress,” ca. 1900). Some of the depictions of young girls are sometimes associated with his daughter, though there is no definitive confirmation of these identifications.
Jadzia is depicted here with great sensitivity and subtlety. The artist avoided excessive idealization, yet at the same time imbued the portrait with elegance and timeless charm. This makes the portrait of his daughter all the more exceptional—it ranks among the most personal and intimate works in his oeuvre.