In the Garden

Włodzimierz Błocki, a Polish painter and graphic artist, was born in 1885 in Lviv and passed away prematurely on June 26, 1920, in Zakopane, at the age of 35. His artistic journey began at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, where he studied from 1904 to 1910 under the tutelage of notable artists Leon Wyczółkowski, Konstanty Laszczka, and Józef Pankiewicz. Błocki's travels to Italy in 1911 with his friend Teodor Grot exposed him to the rich cultural heritage of cities like Rome, Naples, Florence, and Sicily, which profoundly influenced his artistic style. Later, in 1914, his sojourns in Paris and Munich brought him under the sway of French Impressionism, marking a significant evolution in his work. Residing and working primarily in Lviv, Błocki gained considerable acclaim for his portraits and landscapes, alongside genre scenes, symbolic works, and nudes. His versatility shone through his use of various mediums, including oil, watercolor, pastels, and graphic techniques such as aquatint, etching, and lithography. Professor Tadeusz Dobrowolski noted Błocki's pioneering use of color, suggesting his works anticipated modern colorism. Despite his burgeoning career, Błocki's life was cut short by tuberculosis, with his final year spent in Zakopane. He was laid to rest in the New Cemetery in Zakopane. His legacy endures through his works, which are held in the collections of the National Museum in Kraków and the print room of the Jagiellonian Library, showcasing his contribution to Polish art.