Jan STYKA (1858-1925) Humanity [Ludzkość ciemiężona przez trójgłowa hydrę] Oil on cardboard. Signed lower right. On the reverse, a sketch of a woman's portrait. Fragment of an exhibition label on the back. 55.1 x 81 cm Exhibition : Traveling exhibition of the works of Jan, Tadeé and Adam Styka [Okrężna wystawa dzieł Jana Styki, Tadeusza Styki, Adama Styki], Warsaw 1930, no. 24. This painting served as an illustration for the poem Trojglowa hydra, part of Jan Styka's 1916 publication Z lez, krwi i zelaza honoring Poles serving in the French Army (p. 25). On the back of the painting is a sketch of a woman's portrait as well as annotations listing personalities (probably those represented in the lower right of our painting): Mickiewicz, V. Hugo, Pasteur, Michelet (Jules?), Vrchlicky... Obraz ten posłużył jako ilustracja wiersza Trójgłowa Hydra zawartego w broszurze "Z łez, krwi i żelaza" Jana Styki opublikowanej w 1916 roku w hołdzie Polakom służącym we Francuskiej Armii (p.25). Egzemplarz tej broszury dołączamy do obrazu. [Kolekcja Paula Schlockoff] Paul Schlockoff's Styka - lots 6 to 27 The rich correspondence presented lot 26 testifies to the close relationship Adam Styka kept with Paul Schlockoff, a family friend. After emigrating to the United States in the late 1940s, Adam entrusted him with the management of his Parisian affairs. He also exchanges on his daily life and the members of his family. The set we are dispersing has since remained in Paul Schlockoff's family. Through these drawings and paintings, we discover the father, Jan Styka, a faithful student of Jan Matejko. In his work, he often evokes the martyred and torn Poland of the 19th century. He calls upon his great classical culture, his knowledge of mythology and religion. The works of Tadé and Adam, who received a solid education from their father, belong to a new generation, that of freedom and openness to the world. Adam's letters allow us to better understand the destiny of these men who devoted their lives to art without ever forgetting their homeland, even far from its borders.