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Lot Essay
Josef Brandt began his studies in engineering at the school of J. N. Leszczynski and at the Nobleman’s Institute in Warsaw. In 1858, he traveled to Paris to continue his studies at the Ecole des ponts and chausses, but was persuaded by his countryman Juliusz Kossak to abandon engineering and devote himself entirely to painting. Kossak and Henryk Rodakowski were Brandt’s first art teachers in Paris and for a time he studied in the studio of French Academic artist Léon Coignet. In 1862, the young artist moved to Munich where he studied under Franz Adam and Karl Piloty, and he eventually opened his own studio. Brandt remained in Munich for much of the remainder of his life and his studio became a gathering place for Polish artists.
Recognized as one of the foremost artists of the Polish school in Munich, Brandt rapidly achieved both financial and artistic success and his studio attracted many students. By 1875, he was running an informal school for young painters, most of whom were Polish and in the same year he was elected to the Berlin Academy. Further honors followed rapidly; in 1878 he was elected to the Munich Academy and in 1900, to the Prague Academy. His canvases hang in nearly all Polish museums and he is represented in museums and private collections in North America and Europe.
Brandt is best-known for his scenes of the 17th century Cossak wars as well as the Tartar and Swedish invasions of Poland. His were imaginative treatments, not representations of precisely defined historical moments, although he took great pains to accurately depict costumes, weapons, harnesses and musical instruments, models for all of which filled his studio. Central to most of his compositions, whether the battle scenes for which he was most famous, or the more sedate scenes of Polish peasant life, was the horse. In the battle scenes, the artist delighted in depicting the animals in motion, either attacking or galloping across the plains. In the paintings that capture everyday life in Poland, the horse is still an integral part of the composition and is most often depicted as a steadying force, a companion and a helper in the fields.
Recognized as one of the foremost artists of the Polish school in Munich, Brandt rapidly achieved both financial and artistic success and his studio attracted many students. By 1875, he was running an informal school for young painters, most of whom were Polish and in the same year he was elected to the Berlin Academy. Further honors followed rapidly; in 1878 he was elected to the Munich Academy and in 1900, to the Prague Academy. His canvases hang in nearly all Polish museums and he is represented in museums and private collections in North America and Europe.
Brandt is best-known for his scenes of the 17th century Cossak wars as well as the Tartar and Swedish invasions of Poland. His were imaginative treatments, not representations of precisely defined historical moments, although he took great pains to accurately depict costumes, weapons, harnesses and musical instruments, models for all of which filled his studio. Central to most of his compositions, whether the battle scenes for which he was most famous, or the more sedate scenes of Polish peasant life, was the horse. In the battle scenes, the artist delighted in depicting the animals in motion, either attacking or galloping across the plains. In the paintings that capture everyday life in Poland, the horse is still an integral part of the composition and is most often depicted as a steadying force, a companion and a helper in the fields.