Aleksander Orlowski (March 9, 1777 - March 13, 1832) was a Polish painter and sketch maker, pioneer of lithography in the Russian Empire.
Orłowski was born in 1777 in Warsaw to a tavern-keeper. In his early childhood he became known as a prodigy and soon Izabela Czartoryska financed his first classes of painting with the notable artist Jan Piotr Norblin. In 1793 Orłowski joined the Polish Army and fought in the Kościuszko Uprising against Imperial Russia and Prussia, but was wounded and returned to Warsaw for further studies, financed by Prince Jezef Poniatowski. He studied with many notable painters of the epoch, among them Norblin, Marcello Bacciarelli and Wincenty Lesserowicz. In 1802, after the Partitions of Poland, he moved to Russia, where he became one of the pioneers of lithography.
Among his works are countless sketches of everyday life in Poland and Russia, as well as scenes of the Kościuszko Uprising and other Polish wars.
Self portrait in Cossacks dress 1810s
Medium oil on canvas
Dimensions 143 x 107.5 cm
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