Piotr Michalowski

Born July 2, 1800, in Krakłw; died June 9, 1855, on the Krzyżtoporzycy estate, near Krakow. Polish painter and draftsman.

Michałowski studied drawing in Kraków in 1817–18 and painting in Paris in 1832–33 with N. T. Charlet, but he was essentially self-taught. He fought in the Polish Uprising of 1830–31. Michałowski painted many dynamic and expressive battle and genre pictures in the romantic style. Among his best works are Clash of the Cuirassiers and Battle at Somosierra, both in the National Museum in Krakow, and The Horse Fair (1840’s), in the Museum of Fine Arts, Vienna. Michałowski’s paintings are distinguished by tonal intensity, vivid color accents, and bold brushwork. His series of peasant portraits, including Peasant In a Hat (c. 1846, National Museum, Warsaw), accurately and sensitively convey the psychological traits of village folk.