Aleksander Augustynowicz is a painter with strong ties to Lviv. The 24 years that he spent in this city represent the most flourishing period of his work, and the works created at this time determined his position in Polish art. Augustynowicz gained fame as an outstanding portraitist, but he also took on other subjects in his work. One of these is a genre scene entitled 'Alleluia'. The painting depicting an Easter resurrection procession is in the collection of the Lviv National Art Gallery.

Easter gen re scene
Made in 1906, this watercolour depicts a scene captured during the Easter procession. In the foreground we see two altar boys taking part. One is holding a cross decorated with a red stole, the other a statue of the Risen Christ. The boys are portrayed in a half-face, frontal position. They walk at the head of the procession, singing Easter songs. Behind them we see the other participants, including a priest with a monstrance.

The watercolour "Hallelujah" is not the only work by Augustynovich in the collection of the Lviv National Art Gallery (there are about 20 of them). His works have been coming to the museum since its inception in the form of purchases or gifts from the artist. The title painting was donated to the gallery by the Ministry of Religion and Education, which in 1907 deposited a dozen or so works purchased at an exhibition of the Society of Friends of Fine Arts. Two years later, the collection was supplemented by further paintings, including an Easter scene by Augustynowicz.

Origin and education of Aleksander Augustynowicz
Aleksander Augustynowicz (1865-1944) came from an Armenian family that had lived in Kamieniec Podolski for generations. His great-grandfather and grandfather were still citizens of this town, and it was only his father, Vincent Augustynowicz, who decided to leave Kamenets. He and his family settled in the small village of Iskrzynia in the Krosno district, where the future painter was born.

In 1883, Aleksander Augustynowicz enrolled at the Kraków School of Fine Arts, where he studied under Jan Matejko and Władysław Łuszczkiewicz. After completing his studies, he left for Munich. There he attended the art school founded by the Hungarian painter Szymon Hollósy. Augustynowicz resisted French influences in his work and never visited Paris - a fashionable destination for artistic peregrinations at the time - but willingly travelled to Italy and Hungary.

The Lviv period - the blossoming of talent
In 1890, Aleksander Augustynowicz settled in Lviv, where he lived and worked for an extended period of time. This period proved to be extremely important for him, as it was then that he established himself as an outstanding portraitist. During his Lvov period, he created a series of portraits (including of his father Wincenty and his wife Anna), which brought him fame and recognition in the artistic community, as well as the highest official accolade of his career - a gold medal at the international exhibition in Berlin for his 1895 'Self-Portrait'.

The protagonists of his paintings were mostly landowners of Armenian origin. His frequent trips to the Eastern Carpathians were the source of the images he created of the Hutsul people. In addition to portraits, Augustynowicz worked during this period on the painting decoration of the foyer of the Municipal Theatre in Lwow, where he placed scenes from Fredro's "The Revenge" and Zabłocki's "Fircyk w zalotach". In addition, he took part in numerous exhibitions organised by the Society of Friends of Fine Arts in Krakow and Lviv. In his work he most often and willingly used the technique of watercolour.

Zakopane, Poznań, then Warsaw
. After the outbreak of the First World War, Aleksander Augustynowicz left Lviv and moved to Zakopane. There he created an impressive series of watercolours with views of mountain landscapes and folklore. From his trips to Krakow, however, he brought back views of the local monuments. From the 1920s onwards, he settled permanently in Poznań, where he continued to work on landscape and architectural subjects and also returned to portrait painting. In 1936, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Augustynowicz's creative work, a jubilee exhibition was held at the Society of Fine Arts in Poznań. On display at the time were 71 oil paintings and watercolours by the artist.

After the outbreak of the Second World War, Aleksander Augustynowicz moved to Warsaw. He died on 23 August 1944 during the Warsaw Uprising.