After a brief stay in Zurich for his health, he decided to study art instead. From 1883 to 1887, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich with Karl Raupp and Nikolaos Gyzis. He also took private lessons with Józef Brandt and Alfred Kowalski. In 1894, his painting of a Lithuanian forest earned him a second-class medal at the Glaspalast. After 1895, he lived in Berlin for several years before returning to Poland. While there, at the invitation of Wojciech Kossak and Julian Fałat, he participated in painting a panorama depicting the Battle of Berezina. This was followed by an invitation from Jan Styka to work on the Transylvania Panorama.