Wilhelm Leopolski

After graduation (1862), he returned to the family home in Brody, where he withdrew from public during the period of the January Uprising, a widespread Polish rebellion sparked by the untimely imposition of a military conscription by the Russian Imperial Army.

For the painters of Leopolski's generation, art was a patriotic mission, critical for the process of "shaping national historical awareness.

"[4] The Death of Acernus, depicting the last moments of the life of the poet Sebastian Klonowic, is considered to be Leopolski's most important painting.

In the Wrocław version, apart from the figure of a Jesuit confessor and the dying poet, the court physician of King Stefan Batory, Wojciech Oczko, appears.

Beyond the history painting, Leopolski was admired for the realism of his work and his fine portraits, but the demands of satisfying wealthy clients were not suited to his temperament.

Leopolski's withdrawal from public affairs during the January Uprising rubbed uncomfortably against the dedication of his work to the idea of an independent Poland.