22: TADE STYKA (1889-1954) O/C PORTRAIT OF WANDA STYKA

Tade (Thadeus) Styka (1889-1954)
Portrait of Wanda Styka with Sons Andrzej and Juliusz (1928)
The oil on canvas portrait portrays the artist's sister-in-law and her two sons; signed in graphite verso on the central wood stretcher.

Tade Styka and his brother Adam Styka (1890 - 1959), husband of the sitter here, each began their careers in art under the tutelage of their father Jan Styka (1858-1925). Each made their way to New York via Paris and lived out their lives there. Jan was known for his Orientalist scenes and views of the American West. Thadeus specialized in portraiture. The majority of his subjects were like Wanda Styka: attractive, long-limbed young ladies fashionably dressed and coiffed in styles of the 1920s; often starlets, personalities of stage, and figures from society. In Wanda's case she sits with her two sons (an unusual Styka portrait feature) wearing a distinctive strand of beads about her neck in the style of the day and not unlike a famous design from Chanel. The artist skillfully connects the viewer with the sitters and tells a little about each through his portrayal, their eyes, their gestures captured in the scene.
The canvas 46 x 35 inches is framed to 52 x 40 inches.
Very good original untouched condition. There are no issues of major scratches, losses, repairs, in-painting or touch-up as confirmed under UV light examination. One brush stroke lower right appears darker than the rest, but under normal light also appears as an unusual pigment.
Provenance: A Country Club Plaza estate, Kansas City, Missouri.
$8,000 - $12,000