Wlodzimierz Terlikowski (1873-1951)

An important Polish artist who gained the title of ‘The Polish Master’, using a rich impasto palette knife technique.

Coming from a wealthy Polish family he ran away from his home of Porja many times as a young boy. He was very widely travelled and briefly studied at Academy of Fine Arts in Munich moving on to work as an assistant in the studio of Jean-Paul Laurens (1838-1921) from 1891–1898. Whilst living in the artistic and cultural centre of Montparnasse of Paris he gained a name for his painting skills with his early works being influenced by Fauvism and Impressionism. In Montparnasse, Terlikowski was a contemporary of Modigliani, Soutine, Picasso, Derain and Vlaminck. After more world-wide travels he settled permanently in Paris in 1911.

His marriage to Jeanne Leygues Rockwell, daughter of the Prime Minister of France, in 1924 brought him to the attention of France’s higher social circles, gaining commissions from Museums, private individuals and palaces. However, Terlikowski had already established his place in the Parisienne artistic circles with a solo exhibition at Galerie Bernheim-Jeune in 1900 (aged just 17) and a further ‘more notable’ exhibition in 1913 at the same gallery the week after one of Matisse’s finest shows of Moroccan paintings.

In 1933 he was promoted to Officer of The Legion of Honor for his work painting Moroccan women. His work was studied and published at least three times in the 1920’s and 1930’s and again in 1998 with his definitive biography – (Wladimir de Terlikowski – His Life and Art)

Terlikoski’s work is colourful and vibrant, often created with a pallet knife and covers all manner of subjects from the French countryside to portraits and still life work including good floral paintings. His palette knife technique has seen him compared to Paul Cezanne and Auguste Renoir.

His work can be found in public galleries and museums including the National Museum of Warsaw in Poland, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and Musee des Beaux Arts in Bordeaux

Sources: www