Emil Polit

Emil Polit (11 October 1940 – 4 January 2024) was a Polish painter known for his works on canvas and church murals. He was a portrait artist and painter of religious works which are exhibited in many churches in Poland and held in numerous collections including at the National Museum of Przemyśl, Art Exhibitions Bureau's Exhibition Center in Rzeszów, and at the Vatican.

Early life and education Emil Polit was born on 11 October 1940, in Zmysłówka, Poland. In 1954, he began attending the Fine Arts Preparatory Academy in Jarosław. From 1959, he studied at The Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow where he trained under Polish artist . Polit graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in painting and lithography in 1965.

Career After graduate school, Polit settled in Rzeszów, Poland, where he was inducted into the Polish Professional Artists' Association in 1966.

In 1988, Polit began teaching at State Secondary School of Fine Arts in Rzeszów. Others are donations to benefit the St. Albert Society in Rzeszów, where he was awarded in 2002 with the Society's recognition award for exceptional generosity and his continuing support for Children's Hospice charities of Southeastern Poland. Polit also actively supports the Catholic Charities of the Rzeszów region and other local charities.

Death Polit died on 4 January 2024, at the age of 83.

Works Polit initially focused on industrial art design in parallel with his lifelong pursuit of painting and drawing. Later, he transitioned to painting full-time. Among his works are the interior design of the of Roman Catholic Diocese of Rzeszów. He designed the altar and also painted the large frescos that adorned the church's interior walls, including murals of Jesus and patron saints of the diocese, Józef Sebastian Pelczar and Karolina Kózka. Also at the cathedral is Polit's rendition of the Stations of the Cross, a traditional series of images depicting Jesus on the day of his crucifixion. His portraits are depicted in intimate scenes and in a highly stylized form unique to the artist.

Exhibitions Polit's work has been shown at more than 20 individual exhibitions, including: 2005 – 40th Anniversary Exhibit, Art Exhibitions Bureau, Rzeszów 2006 – Masterpiece Gallery, Indianapolis 2008 – Masterpiece Gallery, Indianapolis