Topics of coins
Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski
Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski was born in Suwałki on
11 October 1849. He received his education in the
Warsaw Drawing Class, and later studied at the
Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden and in Munich
– where he set up his private studio and became
a leading representative of the milieu of Polish
painters there at the turn of the 19th and 20th
century.
The artist’s paintings – realistic and imbued with
emotions – show scenes from everyday life in
Polish villages and small towns. They reveal the
world of simple activities and games – horse-driven
carts carrying passengers on muddy roads at dusk,
excursions to the market, sleigh rides, wedding
processions and groups of carts on the way to
church pulled by teams of horses. These images
are set in the scenery of the Polish landscape,
featuring meagre trees, thickets, dusty roads, roads
wet with melting snow, cottages perched in the
distance or woods outlined against the sky.
The vibrant joyfulness of laughing peasants
dashing through the snow in sleighs alternates
with the melancholy contemplation of travellers
getting ready for a journey at dawn. The realism
of Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski’s work does not
consist only in his attention for detail and truth of
detail, but in being capable of expressing the mood
of the moment and the essence of the presented
scene and the surrounding landscape.
Evocative, atmospheric and immersed in the
realities of the 19th century, his paintings quickly
won popularity and gained lasting fame for the
artist when sent to exhibitions and art galleries
in European and American cities. Distinctions,
awards and purchases made by state and private
collections have established Wierusz-Kowalski’s
position as a truly talented painter. Today the artist’s
work is displayed in numerous museum galleries.
Alfred Kowalski died on 15 February 1915 and was
buried in Munich. In 1936 his remains were brought to
Poland and interred along the “Avenue of Merit” at the
Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw.
An iconic example of the artist’s painting is a picture
of a wolf looking at a sleeping, snow-covered village.
The image of this lone wolf – from the picture “Wolf”
(120 x 150 cm) – has been reproduced on the collector
coin, while the artist’s portrait is a photograph taken
at the Munich studio.
Eliza Ptaszyńska
Regional Museum in Suwałki