Portrait of Mrs Matlińska.

Witold Pruszkowski's "Portrait of Mrs Matlińska," painted in 1871, offers a glimpse into the artist's early career, created during his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. Pruszkowski, later celebrated as a Symbolist painter and sometimes referred to as Poland's first Impressionist due due to his unique color palette and soft focus, was still developing his distinctive style at this time. While he would become renowned for his depictions of fairy tales, folklore, and scenes inspired by national literature, this portrait demonstrates his proficiency in capturing individual likeness. The painting predates his more well-known Symbolist works, such as those inspired by Juliusz Słowacki's "Anhelli" or his "March to Siberia." This portrait, therefore, stands as an important example of Pruszkowski's foundational skills before he fully embraced the evocative and often melancholic themes that would define his later career. It highlights his early command of portraiture, a genre he continued to engage with alongside his more fantastical subjects.