Wilhelm Kotarbinski was a Polish painter; his work is classified as Romanticism, Symbolism and Art Nouveau. As the artist worked for over 30 years in the lands which at that time belonged to the Russian Empire, in Russian-language sources he is referred to as Wilgielm Aleksandrowicz Kotarbinskij or Wasilij Aleksandrowicz Kotarbinskij. Ukrainian sources refer to him as Vasily Oleksandrovych Kotarbinskyj. He studied at the Drawing Class in Warsaw under Rafał Hadziewicz, later also at St. Luke's Academy in Rome under Francesco Podesti. At the end of XIX century Kotarbiński due to "antique" subject matter of his paintings was often compared to Henryk Siemiradzki (at that time he was also the most popular). His works are in very important museums in Poland and in the world: the National Museum in Warsaw or the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg.
