Jan Styka (1858 Lviv - 1925 Rome), Portrait of a young woman, ca., 1910

oil, cardboard, 44 × 35 cm light frame
signed l. d.: "Jan Styka"

on the back a paper sticker of the framing studio Jerry Solomon Enterprises Inc. in Los Angeles, on the frame a paper sticker of the framing studio Munn Picture Frames in Los Angeles and a description: "M 1987 - 08"

Jan Styka became famous primarily as a painter of historical and battle scenes, as well as allegorical and religious paintings. Portraits appear in his work far less frequently, but perhaps that is why they are an interesting area in his work.
Artists over the centuries have channeled their fascination into portraiture, which has become the subject of many works. In the auction offer we present a beautiful portrait of a young woman, depicted in the femme fatale style, which was extremely fashionable at the turn of the 20th century. They were figures marked by mystery, some kind of demonic aura. Their faces were filled with refined beauty and elegance. In this style, portrayed women models, most often were muses of artists, women who fascinated not only with their beauty but also with their impenetrable nature. This type, was found, among other art, in the Pre-Raphaelites. In their work, a woman was a very common subject, being the main focus of attention. On their canvases, her figure was troubled by an internal struggle of the soul and senses. Mostly depicted as a lonely individual, filled with longing and despair. In the works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, female images full of disturbing enigmatism were a very common theme in his works. Often underneath the female silhouettes were symbolic images. They were mysterious, sensual figures, with lush, slightly wavy red hair that revealed their long, bright necks. On their faces, illuminated by some angelic glow, with contrasting red on their sensual lips, there was always a melancholy, somewhat dreamy, irreverent expression, full of erotic tension. Their deep gaze, on the one hand, seemed to be absent, as if fleeting, on the other, piercing, mesmerizing. And so is the beautiful red-haired beauty with enticingly parted red lips depicted in the portrait by Jan Styka.