Lucien Przepiorski

LUCIEN PRZEPIÓRSKI (1830/1–1911) was born in Vilnius, and it is believed that his mother was an artist too. He lived in Warsaw for a short while in 1855, colouring photographs in a photographic studio (according to some sources, he owned the studio). He returned to Lithuania in 1855, and painted portraits and religious paintings. In 1857, he started studying at St Petersburg Academy of Art, and in 1859 he gained a degree in portraiture. Przepiórski took part in the 1863 uprising, and from 1864 until his death he lived in Paris, copying paintings in the Louvre and exhibiting frequently in the Salon. He painted portraits, domestic scenes, still-lifes, and historical and allegorical compositions. He won a bronze medal in the Exposition Universelle of 1889. His style bears the imprint of his early contact with photography. With their meticulous modelling and abundance of detail, his paintings gravitate towards photography, although they are not without deeper symbolic or allegorical meanings. Their everyday scenes link them to the Biedermeier style.

Reference: "RES PUBLICA" The art collection of the law firm Ellex Valiunas. Compiler R. Jononienė. Vilnius, 2018, P. 190.