Karol Rafałowicz (1831-1861) was born in 1831 in Talechany and died in 1861 in Vilnius. During 1855-1859, he studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. Beside him, other Vilnius artists of the younger generation, such as Tadas Goreckis, Boleslovas Ruseckas, Edvardas Paulavičius, Albertas Žametas, were studying at the same time at the Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts. All their works are characterised by an impeccable design and composition, often featuring deeper realistic insights. Among them, Rafalavičius was a typical academist and an excellent painter. In 1859, he received the title of an academician for the portrait of her mother. Later, until his death, he lived in Vilnius. He painted portraits and created paintings on religious topics and figurative compositions. There are four works of this artist in the collection of the Lithuanian Art Museum. Another two interesting works can be viewed at the church in Nemajūnai, Prienai District, namely, Rafalavičius’ copy of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn and the work of the artist “St. John and Mary”. The artist died in young age, therefore there remains little knowledge about his life and his work.
Source: Lithuanian Integral Museum Information System.