Janusz Kotarbiński (1890–1940), *Gazda*

linocut, paper, 20 x 15 cm (inner dimensions of the mat); signed on the plate: JK.

Janusz Wiktor Kotarbiński (born July 30, 1890, in Gołonóg; died January 13, 1940, in Zakopane) – Polish painter, visual artist, and writer.He was born on July 30, 1890, in the village of Gołonóg (now a district of Dąbrowa Górnicza), to Apoloniusz Eustachy and Matylda née Mętracka. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków.In 1919, he settled in Zakopane, where he became involved in cave exploration and the creation of an ethnographic collection. In 1923, he donated this collection—comprising everyday objects and women’s jewelry—to the Tatra Museum; that same year, he wrote and published *Tatra Novellas*, which he illustrated himself. In 1924, he wrote a short story about sleeping knights in the Kościeliska Valley; at the same time, he painted works depicting mountain and folk themes, as well as landscapes of Zakopane. He participated in numerous exhibitions, including those organized by the Kraków Society of Friends of the Fine Arts. He organized painting exhibitions at the Polish Bazaar, and in 1925 he joined the board of the “Podhale Art” Society. The work that brought him the greatest fame, but also contributed to the end of his painting career, was the polychrome decoration and stained-glass windows in the Church of the Holy Family on Krupówki Street in Zakopane. The project was met with ostracism by the artistic community in Zakopane, which led to the artist’s isolation. From 1934 until his death in 1940, he had no contact whatsoever with artists in Zakopane.