Józef Brodowski (1772-1853) is considered to be one of the most important painters active in Galicia in the first half of the 19th century. As a young man, thanks to the support of Princess Izabela Lubomirska née Czartoryska, he went to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, where he studied history painting under Josef Abel and portrait painting under Jan Chrzciciel Lampi. He later settled in Krakow, where he was initially a teacher of drawing at the St. Anne's Lyceum and, from 1816, a professor of painting at the School of Fine Arts. In addition to his intensive teaching activities, he was also a prolific artist. He was known and appreciated primarily as a portraitist, but his output also included works belonging to other genres.

Brodowski left only one known genre work - a monumental painting depicting the celebration of the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur (Judgement Day) inside a synagogue. It was created around 1822, as the artist's son recalled, "from his own arrangement". The painting belonged to the Lubomirski family. Princess Izabela's foster son, Henryk Lubomirski, donated it, along with a large collection of paintings by Polish and foreign masters, to the Lubomirski Museum at the Ossoliński National Institute, which he founded. In the first inventory of this collection, it was mistakenly entitled 'The Jewish Synagogue in Przeworsk', and this title appears in older literature. In fact, the scene depicted takes place in Łańcut. This identification is confirmed by an analysis of the architecture recorded in detail by the painter, as well as a sketch for the composition preserved in a notebook kept in the National Museum in Kraków (signed: 'Bóżnica w Łańcucie 27. Pazd: 1822'). Brodowski was, after all, associated with this city - after studying in Vienna, he worked for several years at the court of his powerful protector in Łańcut. He was therefore able to become acquainted with the Jewish temple there, although undoubtedly for a person from outside the Jewish community access to it was limited, and the religious rites remained in some way marked by mystery and exoticism, which is reflected in the work executed by the painter.

The painting is distinguished by a unique formula for Brodowski's work - it is a nocturne, a scene set in the twilight of a synagogue, lit only by candlelight. The Baroque architecture of the synagogue, rendered with clear attention to detail, with four monumental bimah columns in the centre of the composition, gives the whole scene a theatrical feel. The silhouettes of the assembled worshippers, clad in white smocks and tallit, are tightly crowded, appearing disproportionately small in relation to the massive architectural setting of the stage. This emphasises the sultry, mystical mood of the event. Jews, attend an evening service during one of the most important Judaic festivals of a penitential nature, when sins are publicly confessed, the wronged are asked for forgiveness and the dead are remembered. The artist took great care to convey the variety of emotions of the participants in the service - from concentration and contemplation to dramatic gestures expressing repentance. Brodowski used an almost monochromatic colour palette, limited to warm, reddish-brown tones, which enhance the atmosphere of mystery and solemnity. The drama of the situation is also emphasised by strong luministic effects based on the contrast between the illuminated main hall and the foreground vestibule immersed in shadow. Stanisława Opalińska, the author of Brodowski's monograph, emphasises that this work is a testimony to the strong impression the artist made on himself by observing the celebration of this holiday. On the other hand, both the expressive form of the work and the artist's strongly pathetic approach to the subject are clear references to Romantic aesthetics.

The artist, known mainly for his cool classicising portraits and historical scenes, here opens up to the emotional and mysterious atmosphere characteristic of Romanticism. Similar qualities can be seen in his landscapes, which, although preserved in small numbers, are characterised by a fresh approach to nature and reflect new painterly tendencies. Unfortunately, these innovative aspects were not reflected in Brodowski's teaching work. As a professor of painting at the School of Fine Arts in Krakow, for more than two decades he adhered to the classicist principles brought from the Viennese academy. His teaching method was invariably based on copying antique models and plaster models, which over time became anachronistic. The conflict between Brodowski and the younger lecturer Wojciech Korneli Stattler, an advocate of new currents, which took place against this background, illustrates the clash of two eras in Polish art.

The painting of the Yom Kippur holiday in the Łańcut synagogue thus remains a unique work in which Brodowski approached the spirit of Romanticism, combining the technical precision typical of classicism with emotional depth and mystical atmosphere. This work, although isolated in his oeuvre, allows us to see the artist in a new light - as an artist capable of transcending convention, at least at the level of his personal artistic experience.