1809 -1891 · Warsaw, Paris and Great Polish Emigration

Watercolors of memory, musical visions and portraits of Chopin make Teofil Kwiatkowski the sensitive painter of Polish romantic exile.

Teofil Kwiatkowski was born in Pułtusk in 1809 and died in Avallon in 1891. He entered the fine arts section of the University of Warsaw in 1828, where he studied with Antoni Brodowski and Antoni Blank. Engaged as a second lieutenant in the November insurrection, he had to leave Poland after the defeat of 1831 and settled in France. In Paris, he continued his training, notably with Léon Cogniet, exhibited at the Salon after the defeat of 1831 and settled in France. In Paris, he continued his training, notably with Léon Cogniet, exhibited at the Salon from 1839 and frequented the world of the Great Emigration gathered around the Hôtel Lambert. His friendship with Frédéric Chopin gave birth to several portraits of the composer, including the moving images taken at the time of his death. Last moments of Frédéric Chopin transforms the room into a place of collective memory, while Polonaise de Chopin mixes ball, historical appearance and musical evocation in a vast allegory of the lost nation. Kwiatkowski favors watercolor, whose transparencies, fades and speed suit his landscapes, genre scenes and dreamlike visions. Installed part of the year in Burgundy after his marriage, he also painted Avallon and the French countryside. His work thus combines intimate observation with the political experience of exile, making music and memory the true architectures of the image. The "Teofil Kwiatkowski" selection notably compares Polonaise to Chopin and Last Moments by Frédéric Chopin. His reading favors composition.

Kwiatkowski paints what music leaves behind: faces, silhouettes and a homeland that has become a light of memory.