Early Life, Family and Training Jan Antoni Blank was born on 6 May 1785 in Olsztyn, Poland. He entered the world into a family of means, as his father was the owner of a local textile factory. However, the stability of his early years was short-lived. Orphaned at a young age, Jan Antoni Blank was taken in and raised by the local postmaster, who provided the care and structure the boy needed as he grew. His path toward art began in earnest when he was fifteen. At this age, he was apprenticed to Józef Kosiński, a man who had previously served as a court painter for King Stanisław II August. T…