(b Drohobycz, nr Lemberg [now Lviv, Ukraine], 5 May 1828; d Vienna, 29 Jan 1892). Polish painter. After completing law studies (1848–52) at the University of Lemberg, he trained (1853–6 and 1858–9) at the School of Fine Art, Kraków, under Wojciech Kornel Stattler (1800–75) and Wladyslaw Luszczkiewicz (1828–1900), and then (1860–61) at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Vienna, under Christian Ruben (1805–75), who encouraged him to work in a realistic style. In Vienna Leopolski also made a thorough study of the work of the Dutch and Venetian Old Masters. He then moved to the Munich Akademie and studied (1874–5) under Alexander Wagner (1838–1919). In 1878 he settled in Vienna. Leopolski’s early work consisted of sentimental genre paintings based on motifs from Polish rural life. He also painted portraits of outstanding Polish personalities such as the dramatist Aleksander Fredro (Lviv, Pict. Gal.) and the poet and critic Lucjan Siemienski (Kraków, N. Mus.). His portraits were characterized by attentiveness to costume detail and the use of a neutral background. Leopolski painted with sweeping strokes laying paint on thickly and maintaining a balanced colour scheme, dominated by shades of bronze, olive green, grey and blue. In his portraits of women he generally used lighter colours enlivened with tones of red, blue and pink.