Wojciech WEISS (1875-1950), Azorek - Wojciech Weiss's dog looking at Józefińska Street (?), circa 1900.

oil, board; 20 x 27 cm;
Signed l. d.: WW;
On the back, oval stamp with an inscription around ZE ZBIORU DZIEŁ WOJCIECHA WEISSA. HOUSE OF THE ARTIST with facsimile of the artist in the middle and No. 000352,
near the top edge, inscription in pencil: Podgórze Azorek 1900;
Work presented at the exhibition:
- Podgórze by Wojciech Weiss at the Museum of Krakow in 2020/2021;
-Wojciech Weiss. Exhibition of paintings, prints and drawings from the artist's years in Podgórze (1891-1904), Ethnographic Museum in Cracow, 1976.

Bibliography:
Exhibition catalog: Podgórze by Wojciech Weiss, p. 194, Cracow 2020.

The exhibition of early works by Wojciech Weiss, held at the Museum of Cracow Podgórze Branch (2020/2021), presented the artist's Young Poland work, closely connected with the place where he lived in 1892-1904, i.e. the city of Podgórze and Płaszów (now a district of Cracow).
The painting on offer shows the artist's favorite dog looking out of the window of his apartment on Józefińska Street in Podgórze. The dog's dark silhouette cuts away from the muted yellows and ochers of the facade of the tenement building located on the opposite side of the street. The dog, with the features of a Polish Mongrel breed, watches its surroundings in concentration. His pose and sharp gaze have been brilliantly captured. We get the impression that this four-legged friend is watching and is not even aware that he is being immortalized in the painting at the same time.
The offered painting is part of a series of depictions of everyday life in old Podgórze captured on the artist's canvases. Note the prominent tenement on the left. It is the same building, with the same color of plaster, as in the painting Jozefinska Street owned by the Museum of Krakow. Both works are dominated by the same color scheme and a nostalgic mood floating in the hushed space of urban buildings illuminated by the soft light of the transitional season of early spring or late autumn - the modernists' favorite seasons.
In addition to the climate of modernist sentimentality palpable in the work, here we have a very personal "document" of the artist's life. We look at his dog, which is a bit of a curiosity in today's age. In addition, from the information on the back we learn that the pet is named Azor and was "portrayed" in 1900.
In the context of this painting, it is worth mentioning that Wojciech Weiss was a vegetarian and had a special love for all creatures. The pets that accompanied him over the years were usually adopted and non-racial. His works often feature studies of cats and dogs drawn at the artist's home. Oil works, on the other hand, are rare.
This painting was of great interest at the exhibition due to its personal nature. It was displayed next to the painting Flower Garden from the collection of the National Museum in Cracow.
Finally, it should be noted that Weiss' works from the period around 1900 are extremely rare on the antiquarian market.