Szymon Czechowicz, printed copy of artist's self portrait

Szymon Czechowicz (1689-1775) was born in Cracow and studied at the the Academy of St Luke, in Rome - the most significant art school in modern Europe. In 1716, he was awarded the Academy Award. His studies and stay in Rome significantly shaped his work, which was greatly influenced by the paintings of the Italian masters of the Renaissance and Baroque. Upon his return to Poland in 1731, much of his output was sacred art. Many of his works have been preserved in the churches of the former Republic of Poland - in Warsaw, Kraków, Vilnius, Lviv, Lublin , Kielce and Poznań.