Karol Mondral

Karol Mondral
Born	Karol Mondral (1880-01-26)January 26, 1880 Warsaw, Kingdom of Poland
Died	December 16, 1957(1957-12-16) (aged 77) Poznań, Poland
Nationality	Polish
Occupation	Painter

Karol Mondral (1880-1957) was a Polish painter and graphic artist.

Biography

Karol Mondral was born on Januray 25, 1880, in Warsaw, to Jan Mondral and Maria née Paczuska.

Between 1894 and 1900, he studied at the Warsaw Drawing School (now the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw) with professors such as Wojciech Gerson, Jan Kauzik or Adam Badowski.

In 1902, Karol went to Kraków to continue his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, in the class of Leon Wyczółkowski.

In 1909, he traveled to Paris in order to perfect his technique of etching. During his stay, Mondral made many trips around France and Switzerland, while looking for subjects for his works. This period was one of intense creativity, which allowed him to participate in salon exhibitions. Initially, the artist showed in his engravings picturesque corners of the French province, using in an original way the tradition of Whistler's landscape art and impressionist imaging conventions; he meticulously recreated the varied texture of stone facades of small-town streets, suggestively rendered the vibrating atmosphere that blurred architectural details in the fragmented buildings of Paris and Cluny (Abbey in Cluny, 1912). Fragmentary views of Concarneau and St. Jean de Luz added the value of picturesqueness by intensifying the play of lights and shadows (St. Jean de Luz, 1912). In his Parisian etchings, the decorative "lattice" of tree branches, seen in Japanese woodcuts, obscures the bulk of churches (By the Seine, 1910). Breton fishermen (The Fish Merchant, 1912; The Type from Concarneau, 1915).

In 1922, Mondral returned to Poland and settled in Bydgoszcz, as the head of the Graphic Department at the National School of Arts and Crafts. There, he set up a vocational school for printers. the views of Bydgoszcz and Krzemieniec

In 1931, Karol and his family transfered to Poznań, where he took the position of professor at the Faculty of Graphic Arts of the State School of Decorative Arts (Template:Lang-pl). He chaired the school studio of lithography and dry-engraving techniques until the outbreak of World War II.

During the conflict, Karol lived in Warsaw; in 1945, he returned to Poznań and became a lecturer of graphic sciences at the State Higher School of Fine Arts.

He got retired in 1950.

Karol Mondral passed away in Warsaw on December 16, 1957. He was buried at the cemetery of Pyry, Warsaw.

Exhibitions

In Paris, the painter could exhibit in solo at two occasions: in 1919 at the "Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts" and in 1921 at the seat of "L'Association France-Pologne". in 1923 and 1930 he had individual exhibitions in Warsaw, and in 1928 and 1947 in Poznań.

 : He was awarded at the 1st Graphic Competition. H. Grohman in Zakopane in 1911, and in the second edition of this competition in 1914 he received the second prize. In Poland, he presented his graphics at the Warsaw Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts (1903-39), the Polish Art Society (1931) and the Institute of Art Propaganda (1936), in Lviv (1913, 1916, 1926, 1928, 1930), Poznań (1925, 1927 , 1929, 1930, 1932, 1933), Zamość (1926), Bydgoszcz (1924, 1931, 1932, 1936), Łódź (1925), Toruń (1930), Kraków (1931) and Vilnius (1931).

Karol Mondral 1881-1957", Bydgoszcz 2012 Karol Mondral. Twórczość graficzna między Paryżem, Bydgoszczą a Poznaniem", Bydgoszcz 2013,

Works

Mondral mainly used metal techniques using etching, aquatint, drypoint and soft varnish; he used lithography and woodcut less often. He also made painting compositions influenced by Jacek Malczewski's symbolism, portraits, landscapes and still lifes with flowers. He practiced techniques in metal using etching, aquatint, drypoint and soft varnish; he used lithography and woodengraving less frequently, while living in Paris he dealt with color woodcuts. He created impressionistic landscapes, figural scenes and portraits. He regularly exhibited his works in the Warsaw Towarzystwo Zachęty Sztuk Pieknych, Polish Art Society and Institute of Art Propaganda, moreover he exhibited in Lviv, in Poznań, Zamość, Bydgoszczy, Łódź, Toruń, Kraków and Vilnius] .

Karol Mondral's prints decorated the tourist class cabins of of the ocean liner "Piłsudski", whose interiors were decorated in 1934 by a team of Polish artists. In 1959, a posthumous exhibition was held in Poznań presenting a cross-section of the artist's work, 157 graphics from 1910-1938, 14 oil paintings from 1913-1953.

Aquaforte:

• Portret młodej kobiety, 1910
• Bazylika w Lourdes, 1912/1914
• St. Etienne du Mont Paryż 1912
• SOSNA, 1912
• Portret Stefana Stasiaka [Portret prof. S.S.], 1912
• Tragarz II [Woźnica z Prowansji], 1912
• Camilla przy piersi [Dziecko przy piersi], 1912
• Zaprzęg prowansalski, 1912
• Portret mężczyzny, 1913
• Powrót z połowu. Portrieux, 1913
• Wyjazd na letnisko, 1913
• Mężczyzna nad brzegiem morza [Nad morzem], ok. 1913
• Dziewczynka w stroju bretońskim, 1914
• Tryptyk z Portrieux, ok. 1914
• Chęciny, 1914
• Scena w porcie, 1915
• Ruiny, 1915
• Brzeg Bałtyku w Karwi, 1920s
• Rodzina, 1920s
• Most nad Sekwaną, 1920
• Portret Konstantego Brandla 1921
• Głowa wieśniaka (Bretania), 1925
• Na targu, 1926
• Katedra w Gnieźnie 1927-1931
• Portret rybaka 1927-1931
• Łan, 1930
• W Puszczykowie, po 1945

Woodcut:

• Pokłon pasterzy, 1917
• Archanioł Michał, 1919
• Profil górala

Paintings:

• WAWEL, 1903
• Bajka, 1909
• WIEJSKA SIELANKA, 1945 R.

Membership

He belonged to Zwiazek Polskich Artystów Plastyki (Association of Polish Graphic Artists) and Plastyka group of artists from Wielkopolska (grupa artystów wielkopolskich „Plastyka”) artistic group Plastyka.

• Związek Polskich Artystów Grafików,
• Związek Plastyków Pomorskich w Bydgoszczy,
• Towarzystwo Zachęty Sztuk Pięknych,

Family

Karol Mondral married to Romana Pogorzelska in 1907. They had a daughter, Camilla Mondral, who was born in Paris on June 30, 1911. (1911-2002), a writer, an outstanding translator from Hungarian.

See also

• Bydgoszcz
• (in Polish) Camilla Mondral