Art in Poland

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Melancholy (1894), by Jacek Malczewski Malczewski melancholia.jpg
Melancholy (1894), by Jacek Malczewski

Art in Poland refers to all forms of visual art in or associated with Poland.

Contents

Stanczyk (1862), painted by Jan Matejko Matejko Stanczyk.jpg
Stańczyk (1862), painted by Jan Matejko
Pavilion of Poland (Jozef Czajkowski) in Paris, 1925. Paris 1925 59878912.jpg
Pavilion of Poland (Józef Czajkowski) in Paris, 1925.

Nineteenth century

Polish art has often reflected European trends while maintaining its unique character. The Kraków school of Historicist painting developed by Jan Matejko produced monumental portrayals of customs and significant events in Polish history. He is referred to as the most famous Polish painter or even the "national painter" of Poland. [1] [2] [3] Stanisław Witkiewicz was an ardent supporter of Realism in Polish art, its main representative being Jozef Chełmoński.

Kazimierz Stabrowski, Peacock. Portrait of Zofia Borucinska, 1908 Kazimierz Stabrowski, Paw - portret Zofii z Jakimowiczow Borucinskiej.jpg
Kazimierz Stabrowski, Peacock. Portrait of Zofia Borucińska, 1908

The Młoda Polska (Young Poland) movement witnessed the birth of modern Polish art and engaged in a great deal of formal experimentation led by Jacek Malczewski (Symbolism), Stanisław Wyspiański, Józef Mehoffer, and a group of Polish Impressionists.

Twentieth century

Artists of the twentieth-century Avant-Garde represented various schools and trends. The art of Tadeusz Makowski was influenced by Cubism; while Władysław Strzemiński and Henryk Stażewski worked within the Constructivist idiom. Distinguished contemporary artists include Roman Opałka, Wilhelm Sasnal, Leon Tarasewicz, Jerzy Nowosielski, Wojciech Siudmak, Mirosław Bałka, and Katarzyna Kozyra and Zbigniew Wąsiel in the younger generation. Tamara de Lempicka was Polish artist creating Art Deco paintings. The most celebrated Polish sculptors include Xawery Dunikowski, Katarzyna Kobro, Alina Szapocznikow and Magdalena Abakanowicz.[ citation needed ] Since the inter-war years, Polish art and documentary photography has enjoyed worldwide recognition.

Kapists (Jan Cybis, Jan Szancenbach, Artur Nacht-Samborski, Hanna Rudzka-Cybisowa), Andrzej Wróblewski, Grupa Krakowska (Tadeusz Kantor, Maria Jarema, Jerzy Nowosielski), individuals like Piotr Potworowski, Władysław Hasior, Ludwik Konarzewski (junior), Jerzy Duda-Gracz, Zdzisław Beksiński were some important Polish post-war painters.

In the sixties the Polish Poster School was formed, with Henryk Tomaszewski and Waldemar Świerzy at its head. [4]

Contemporary art since 1989

Some of the most important representatives of contemporary art are Wilhelm Sasnal, Rafał Bujnowski, Józef Robakowski, Paweł Althamer, Artur Żmijewski, Mirosław Bałka, Leszek Knaflewski, Robert Kuśmirowski, Zuzanna Janin, Krzysztof Wodiczko, Paulina Ołowska, Katarzyna Kozyra, Joanna Rajkowska, Gruppa Azorro.

Independent galleries, mainly in Warsaw, Krakow, and Poznań, play an important role. In many cities museums of modern art are being built, gathering not only national but also international collections (Krakow, Wrocław, and Toruń). In Warsaw, work is underway to build the Museum of Modern Art, which operates a temporary building, creating an international collection of contemporary art. It is open to the public since 2013.

See also

Related Research Articles

Jan Matejko Polish painter

Jan (Alojzy) Matejko was a Polish painter known for paintings of notable historical Polish political and military events. His works include large oil on canvas paintings like Rejtan (1866), Union of Lublin (1869) or Battle of Grunwald (1878), numerous portraits, a gallery of Polish kings, and murals in St. Mary's Basilica, Kraków. He is referred to as the most famous Polish painter or even the "national painter" of Poland.

Young Poland 1890–1918 modernist arts movement in Poland

Young Poland was a modernist period in Polish visual arts, literature and music, covering roughly the years between 1890 and 1918. It was a result of strong aesthetic opposition to the earlier ideas of Positivism which followed the suppression of the 1863 January Uprising against the occupying army of Imperial Russia. Młoda Polska promoted trends of decadence, neo-romanticism, symbolism, impressionism and art nouveau.

Culture of Poland pattern of human activity and symbolism associated with Poland and its people

The culture of Poland is the product of its geography and distinct historical evolution which is closely connected to its intricate thousand-year history. Polish culture forms an important part of western civilization and the western world, with significant contributions to art, music, philosophy, mathematics, science, politics and literature.

Romanticism in Poland

Romanticism in Poland, a literary, artistic and intellectual period in the evolution of Polish culture, began around 1820, coinciding with the publication of Adam Mickiewicz's first poems in 1822. It ended with the suppression of the January 1863 Uprising against the Russian Empire in 1864. The latter event ushered in a new era in Polish culture known as Positivism.

Silesian Museum (Katowice) Voivodeship museum in Katowice, Poland

Silesian Museum is a museum in the city of Katowice, Poland.

Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts art school in Poland

The Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, is a public institution of higher learning located in downtown Kraków, Poland. It is the oldest Polish fine arts academy, established in 1818 and granted full autonomy in 1873.

National Museum, Kraków National museum in Kraków, Poland

The National Museum in Kraków, popularly abbreviated as MNK, established in 1879, is the main branch of Poland's National Museum, which has several independent branches with permanent collections around the country. The Museum consists of 21 departments which are divided by art period; 11 galleries, 2 libraries, and 12 conservation workshops. It holds some 780,000 art objects, spanning from classical archeology to modern art, with special focus on Polish painting.

Sukiennice Museum National museum in Kraków, Poland

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District Museum in Toruń Regional museum in Toruń, Poland

Toruń Regional Museum, located in the Ratusz hall of Toruń, is one of the oldest and largest museums in Poland. It started in 1594 as the mere Cabinet of Curiosities at the library of the academic Gimnazjum, called Musaeum in Latin. Re-established in sovereign Poland as a city museum in 1920 after the century of military partitions, it was administratively structured as the regional museum in 1965.

The Foksal Gallery or Galeria Foksal is a small non-commercial art gallery in Warsaw, Poland established in 1966, that shows works by contemporary avant-garde artists.

Władysław Łuszczkiewicz painter

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National Museum, Wrocław National museum in Wrocław, Poland

The National Museum in Wrocław, established 28 March 1947 and officially inaugurated on 11 July 1948, is one of Poland's main branches of the National Museum system. It holds one of the largest collections of contemporary art in the country.

Museum of Art in Łódź Art museum

Muzeum Sztuki, or the Museum of Art in Łódź is a museum of modern and contemporary art in Łódź, Poland, whose main goal is to research and display avant-garde art, as well as progressive artistic interventions.

References

  1. "Jan Matejko: The Painter and Patriot Fostering Polish Nationalism". Info-poland.buffalo.edu. Archived from the original on 2007-05-26. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
  2. "History's Impact on Polish Art". Info-poland.buffalo.edu. Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
  3. William Fiddian Reddaway (1971). The Cambridge History of Poland. CUP Archive. p. 547. GGKEY:2G7C1LPZ3RN.
  4. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, 2002–2007, AN OVERVIEW OF POLISH CULTURE. Access date 13 Dec 2007.