Artwork
Ox in the barn
Ox in the barn is an oil painting by Józef Brodowski the Elder. It is held in the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw.
About this work
Overview
Józef Brodowski the Elder, a Polish painter of the Classical tradition, completed the oil painting Ox in the Barn in 1900. The work shows a single ox positioned inside a rustic barn, rendered with restrained realism characteristic of the artist’s style. It is part of the National Museum’s collection in Warsaw.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a brown‑and‑white ox standing before a feeding trough, its gaze turned to the left. A modest window and a wooden bench appear in the background, emphasizing the everyday agricultural setting and the quiet dignity of the animal within a humble interior.
Technique & Style
Brodowski employs a muted palette of earthy tones and subtle chiaroscuro to model the ox and the surrounding space, creating a modest sense of depth. The brushwork is smooth and controlled, reflecting the Classical emphasis on clear form and balanced composition.
History & Provenance
Created at the turn of the twentieth century, the painting entered the National Museum in Warsaw, where it remains on display. The artist, active between the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, is distinguished as “the Elder” to separate him from a later namesake.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Józef Brodowski, (c.1775/81 – 1853) was a Polish painter in the Classical style. He is called The Elder to distinguish him from Józef Brodowski (1828–1900), who was apparently not related.
