Vaclav Pavlishak

Vatslav Pavlishak (May 23, 1866, Warsaw, Kingdom of Poland, Russian Empire - January 19, 1905) - Polish artist.

Born in Warsaw to a wealthy family. He began to study painting in the Warsaw drawing classes under the guidance of Wojciech Gerson. Later he studied at the Krakow Academy of Arts, where the most famous of his teachers was Jan Matejko.

The creative style of Pavlishk was formed under the influence of Matejko. The artist's favorite direction of creativity was historical painting, however, he also paid attention to orientalism and book illustration.

Being a wealthy man, Pavlishak could afford to travel, and freedom in choosing themes for creativity. However, he was seriously ill with tuberculosis, and, moreover, was distinguished by an intractable character. In 1904, he presented his painting for exhibition at the Salon, held at the Zachent Gallery in Warsaw. However, the Salon jury rejected Pavlishak's work. The indignant artist sent insulting letters to the jury members. One of the jury members, artist and sculptor Ksavier Dunikovsky, responded to the letter in the same tone. On January 18, 1905, Pavlishak met Dunikovsky in a restaurant and tried to publicly slap him. Anticipating a blow, Dunikovsky pulled out a revolver and mortally wounded Pavlishak with a shot in the head.

Pavliszak died the next day and was buried in the Old Powazki cemetery in Warsaw. The three-year-old daughter of the artist was left an orphan, as he had been widowed a year earlier. Dunikovsky was first arrested, but then released on bail of two thousand rubles, and subsequently avoided criminal liability. He lived a long life, which included several years in Auschwitz, and in his old age was considered one of the most revered official realist sculptors of the Polish People's Republic.