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About Walter Krawiec
Walter Krawiec, born in 1889 in Poland, became a painter, illustrator and cartoonist in Chicago. Two of his teachers were "establishment" Chicago painters: Ralph Clarkson (1861-1942) and Walter Clute (1870-1915). Krawiec was the cartoonist for the Polish Daily News and he illustrated P.R. Martin’s First Cardinal of the West (1934). He was a member of Chicago Painters and Sculptors, the Chicago Gallery Association, and the Cliff Dwellers.
In Circus Rider, a performer enters from the left on horseback, carrying a floral hoop. The horse and dog have been rendered in a convincing manner in this colorful slice of life. Even though this is an image of circus genre, there is something more monumental about the group, with the small procession led by the horse trainer. The little dog seems almost as proud as the noble old horse and the performer on horseback poses even for us innocent bystanders. Perhaps she spots a photographer not far away. At the Art Institute of Chicago, Krawiec exhibited between 1927 and 1949 — in 1933 two of his circus pictures were on display: Between the Acts and The Big Top. Krawiec was fond of horses: Pony Riders, Spotted Horses and Derby Day are a few more titles of his exhibited works. The artist’s wife Harriet (b. 1894) was also a painter. |
Paintings by Walter Krawiec
| Circus Rider |
| oil on canvas: 16 x 20 inches |
| signed: lower right |
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Click Picture to Enlarge
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